Homemade Household Cleaners!! *part II*

This is part 2 on my topic of homemade household cleaners, if you haven't read part one yet, I recommend doing so... it will help. :-)
 I am going to start off by saying that every one of these recipes can be adjusted according to preference, it took me a while to find the ones that work for me. It helps to have a basic understanding of what each ingredient is and how they work.


DISH WASHING DETERGENT
1 part Borax
1 part Washing Soda or Baking Soda
Mix the borax and washing soda (or baking soda if you would prefer to use it) and store in a container away from moisture. Use 2 Tbsp. of the mixture per load.


SPOT-FREE DISHES
Vinegar
Pour vinegar where you would normally put your rinse agent in your dishwasher. It will leave your dishes sparkling for a fraction of the price of Jet-Dry!


FABRIC SOFTENER
1 C. Baking Soda
6 C. Water
6 C. Vinegar
In a large bucket or container, mix the baking soda with one cup of water until dissolved. (it won't completely dissolve, but try your best). Then, slowly add the vinegar and stir until foam goes down. Add remaining five cups water and mix well. Add any scent you like (I love lavender in mine). Use 1/2 cup per load.


DRYER SHEETS
Cut up an old t-shirt. Fill a spray bottle with fabric softener, and spray a t-shirt rag with the softener to toss in the dryer. It's re-usable dryer sheets!


CARPET POWDER
Fill an empty carpet powder bottle or clean parmesan cheese bottle with baking soda, add a few drops of essential oil and shake well to mix. Sprinkle on the carpet about 15 minutes before vacuuming. It will freshen the air even without the essential oil, also.


WOOD POLISH
1/4 C. Vinegar
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil or Jojoba Oil
Olive oil is usually cheaper than Jojoba oil and easier to find. But olive oil, while it works great, will go rancid unlike jojoba oil. If you use olive oil, be sure and only make small amounts and use it quickly.
Just mix the ingredients together, rub it on the wood with a rag and use another rag to wipe off the excess oil. If you like, you can add lemon essential oil (or any other kind you want)


ALL-PURPOSE CLEANER
1/4 C. Ammonia or Vinegar
1 gallon Water
Mix ingredients together, add a scent if you like and fill your spray bottle. This is great for almost any surface, it disinfects and cleans.


FLOOR CLEANER
1/4 C. Ammonia or Vinegar
1 gallon Hot Water
Mix and use this to mop the floor. It works great! You may also add up to a cup of the ammonia or vinegar if it is tile or vinyl floors - but only use 1/4 cup on wood floors.


LAUNDRY DETERGENT
This is my recipe for liquid laundry detergent. There is also a way to make the powdered kind, which is a little easier to make and not quite as messy, but I have not tried it yet. As soon as I make a batch of the powdered kind that works well, I will post it.
1/3 bar Fels Napta Soap, grated
1C. Borax
1/2 - 1 C. Washing Soda (adjust it to your preference)
2 gallons Water
For this, you will need a large bucket or container that will hold at least 2 gallons. In a large pot, heat 6 cups of water, then add the grated soap. Mix until all of the soap is melted. Then add the borax and mix well. Repeat with the washing soda. Stir until everything is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and pour into your container along with 4 cups of hot water. Stir well then add the remaining 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Let it cool completely before adding any essential oils and use about 1/2 C. per load.
** Note - this is a messy soap, but I find it easier to keep my detergent in a bucket and scoop as needed. Also, it will gel and will not look like your typical laundry detergent from the store, but I promise it works like a charm!

These are the only recipes for today. I will be posting another on homemade household cleaners and the different uses for each of the basic ingredients. Though it will be soon, I still need to work on some of the other recipes that aren't quite perfected yet, including the powdered form of the laundry detergent. But keep checking by, there are many more posts to come!