Scented all-purpose cleaner
Ingredients:
- 1 part white vinegar
- 1 part water
- Lemon rind
- Rosemary sprigs
Method:
- Combine all ingredients together, pour into a glass bottle, shake and allow to infuse for a week before using.
- This cleaner can be used throughout your home. The lemon’s acid adds extra cleaning properties for those stubborn stains!
Laundry detergent
Ingredients:
- 84g baking soda
- 125ml liquid castile soap
- 65L hot water
- 32g salt
- 15 drops essential oil of choice (optional)
- Vinegar (to pre-treat stains)*
Materials: 2L container
Method:
- In a large glass measuring cup or bowl, combine 825ml of the hot water with half the baking soda (42g) and half the salt (16g). Stir well until completely dissolved. The mixture will be cloudy and fizzy but, once completely dissolved, it will become mostly clear. Pour the mixture into a 2L container.
- Repeat step one with the rest of the hot water, baking soda and salt. Then add it to the mixture in the 2L container.
- Add in the 125ml of liquid castile soap and, if you would like a scent, add 15 drops of your preferred essential oil e.g. lavender.
- Mix gently, close and label. Always ensure all cleaning products are labelled and kept out of reach of children.
- Before use, shake the container to mix ingredients. For a large load, pour 125ml (1/2 cup) of the laundry detergent into the detergent dispenser drawer (you might need to do some trial-and-error with the quantity for your machine). If it is a particularly dirty or large load, then you can use more. Note: This recipe has only been tested in a top loading washing machine.
Note: This recipe has only been tested in a top loading washing machine.
*For stains: you can pre-treat all stains by putting castile soap directly on the stain. Vinegar can also be used for most food, sweat and set-in stains. Just spray the stain thoroughly with vinegar prior to washing.
Another natural laundry cleaner you can also try is soapberries, more commonly known as soap nuts. They are from the Soap Berry tree, Sapindus mukorossi, and it is the berry shell that naturally contains a cleaning agent called saponin that works like detergent.
Sources:
https://wholefully.com/homemade-borax-free-laundry-detergent/
https://learn.eartheasy.com/guides/non-toxic-home-cleaning/
Honey Hand Soap
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon castile soap
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon almond oil
- Hot water
Materials:
250ml pump bottle
Method:
- Add soap, honey and oil to your hand soap bottle.
- Fill the rest of the bottle with hot water.
- Replace top and swirl rather than shake the ingredients to mix and combine, otherwise you could end up with a lot of bubbles!
Tip: Choose a glass bottle rather than plastic to avoid chemicals potentially leaching into your soap.
Deodorant
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup baking soda
- 1/4 cup arrowroot starch
- 6-10 drops of essential oils, if desired
Materials:
Bowl, spoon, glass jar
Method:
- Mix baking soda and arrowroot starch.
- Mash in coconut oil until blended. Add essential oils, if desired.
- Place the mixture in an empty glass jar.
- To use, just warm a small amount between your fingers until it turns into liquid and apply to your armpits.
Tip: Choose a glass jar rather than plastic to avoid chemicals potentially leaching into your deodorant.
Source: Healthline homemade deodorants
Moisturiser
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons Almond oil
- 2 tablespoons Jojoba oil
- 1.5 teaspoons Beeswax
Materials:
Microwavable bowl, spoon, glass jar
Method:
- Warm all ingredients in the microwave until the beeswax melts.
- Pour into a small glass jar.
Tip: The recipe makes a small batch, try this first then if you like it you can double the recipe. Using jojoba oil increases the shelf life of the moisturiser.
Source: Nontoxic for Health
Check out this page again for more homemade EDC-free suggestions!