DIY: Dish Soap

I've finally found a dish soap recipe that works! I loved the smell of the Seventh Generation dish soap I've been using the past few years, but I found it more cost effective to buy a large bottle of my favorite Dr. Bronner's Castile soap since I can use it in so many of my other homemade recipes.

So here it is!

You will need:

2 cups of unscented castile soap

20 drops of Lime essential oil

8 drops of Lemon essential oil

6 drops of DoTerra's Citrus Bliss essential oil

I threw in a few drops of OnGuard for good measure! The anti-bacterial properties are incredible!

Fill a large, clean glass container with Castile soap; dilute according to instructions if using concentrate.

Tip: When adding any citrus oils you must use glass containers.

Add the oils, and shake before each use.

That's it! How simple is that?

I'm in love! This smells fresh and works really well at cutting through any grease. 

I'm so happy to be adding this recipe to my collection.

What homemade cleaning recipe can't you live without?

Essentially Yours,

Erika

Essential Oils: If you sprinkle when you tinkle!

Be a sweetie and wipe the seatie!!!

As you can imagine, living with three males has it's perks. I am always "Queen Bee" in my home. (Not even sure what that means) I certainly never have to hold a door open for the rest of my life.

There is no shortage of hugs and kisses for Mommy. I fully expect to never take out the garbage as soon as the boys are capable.

But, cleaning the three toilets in this home is not one of those perks!

Especially when two of those boys are what I like to call "practicing" with our three toilets.. (And floors, and couches & beds...etc, you get the idea!)

So here it is, my saving grace!

A few drops of Melaleuca in the bowl does the trick! I use about five drops and scrub away. Melaleuca's antibacterial properties make it perfect for those tough areas you need to keep clean.

There you have it, yet another item in the cleaning aisle I do not need and one less chemical product in my home.

*Husband Approved*

Essentially yours, 

Erika

Homemade: Laundry Detergent

I've been making my own laundry detergent for a little over a year now, and I don't think I can ever go back! I can't describe how satisfying it is to walk past certain aisles in the grocery store silently whispering to myself, "I don't need you, or you, or you." 

When I set out to make most of my own laundry/ cleaning products, I did it because it was a part of us really cutting back and becoming more aware of what we consume on this planet. I also LOVE the idea that I wouldn't need to be fearful of my boys coming in contact with any nasty chemicals. Sure, I had cut out any meat fish or poultry with any antibiotics or fillers. (Even though you still have to be concerned with Chlorine soaking when it comes to poultry, more on that later) it just didn't make much sense to me that I was trying to feed my family safely, but all the while still allowing them to come in contact with harsh chemicals in almost every other way. 

Off I went on a complete overhaul of our cleaning supplies as well as our medicine cabinets! I tried a couple of recipes before I found the perfect fit. So here it is, it's so simple & cost effective! (Bonus!)

You will need:

4 cups of Zote soap shredded

You can use either the pink or white bar, depends on the scent you like most.

I use the grater blade on my food processor to shave it down, then the regular chopping blade to shred it into tiny pieces.

If your really lucky you can find the kind that comes already shredded into tiny flakes.

You can also use Fels Naptha. 

I recently gave this a try and was not disappointed. It's a much stronger scent though, depends what you like really.

Then 2 cups of 20 Mule Team Borax

2 cups of Super Washing Soda

Mix ingredients well in a bowl and store in an air tight container (we use glass, just my preference), and that's it! It's so simple and takes no time at all!

Hope you enjoy, we definitely have!

Essentially Yours,

Erika