Got Stains??

I try so hard not to stain my shirts -- but what can I say, it's an going thing with the stains. So yesterday I did some online research and found some green stain remover recipes. I only did a small batch to test if the recipe would indeed be effective.  The original recipe called for baking soda but I substituted that ingredient with washing soda. Washing soda is good to treat mustard, chocolate, blueberry, cola, meat, grease spatters and olive oil.  Washing soda is available at the Grocery Store.  I bought mine at Harris Teeter.   Here's the recipe:

 

Stain Remover

1 cup hot water

1/4 cup washing soda

1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide.

These quantities make a small batch.  Double the ingredients to make a larger quantity. Mix in a glass container  1 cup hot water,  1/4 cup washing soda and 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide.  Store this mix in a spray bottle.  I put this one to the test right away and it did work on my stained knit shirt. 

Note: If you shake mix while it's still warm, it will continue to to squirt without stopping, so wait to use until  the mix has cooled down to spray. Do shake the mix before spraying.

I was in the mood for trying recipes and since I ran out of my liquid soap I decided to try making my own.

Using your grater, finely grate about 1/2 a cup of bar of soap.  I got my goat milk soap from  Heart Creations. Add about a cup and a half of water.  Mix will be runny.   Pour the mix using a funnel into an empty liquid soap bottle or any bottle that has a pump.

Mixing with a wooden spoon did not quite break down the soap....so I looked around the kitchen and found something I could use.

I used the frother to break the soap flakes --- look how foamy it got....then

It was  tricky to get the mix down the funnel. lol.... as you can see. You learn all kinds of things.

I did end up with liquid soap and it's all natural.

Green Cleaning - Two Recipes

By definition green cleaning means cleaning to protect your health without harming the environment.  We benefit from using environmentally friendly products in many ways.  Just a few products will yield most of the cleaners or detergents you will need to keep your home naturally clean.   Most cleaning products can be made using borax, white vinegar, baking soda, castile soap, setzer water, lemon juice....to name a few.

I started with the laundry soap. I've been using it for a couple of weeks and absolutely love it.  It's also a great way to save money.

I have been looking for a recipe to make a general surface cleaner to clean my kitchen counter tops.  I found a recipe in this couple's blog: Young House Love.  You will love reading some of their posts.



I found the borax and the Castile soap in my Harris Teeter Grocery Store.  The other brand of Castile soap out there is Dr Bronner's.

 I used Dr Woods Pure Tea Tree Castile soap.  The back of the bottle has some wonderful recipes too.

All Purpose Surface Cleaner

You will need:

4 tsp borax

1/2 tsp Castile Soap

4 cups Hot water

I used my 4  cup Pampered Chef measuring cup to mix the borax and the castile soap. Mix well until the mix is well dissolved.

Pour dissolved mix into a plastic spray bottle.  I found the 24 oz ones at a Dollar General for $1.00.  It helps to use a funnel to pour the liquid into the bottle.  Do it in your sink as there will be spills.

Label your bottle.

 The next green cleaning recipe can be used to clean your toilet and sinks.  The recipe calls for castile soap, baking soda and white vinegar.  The recipe is here.  To store this cleaning product you will need a plastic bottle with a squirt top.  As you can see the baking soda and the castile soap separate....so shake well before using.

Have fun green cleaning.