The no buying cleaning products challenge

candygirl

Spikey I did laundry powder a while back but it affected OH's skin:(:Shame as it was sooooo cheap:(:(:(

WartimeScrapingofMarmite

candygirl wrote: »

Did you dilute it hun?:D:D

Ummmm.....no:o You wouldn't think I used to clean people's houses to make a bit of money would you?! I will try diluting it (when my lovely new bottle of antibac has run out!)

SpikyHedgehog

candygirl wrote: »

Spikey I did laundry powder a while back but it affected OH's skin:(:Shame as it was sooooo cheap:(:(:(

Thanks for the warning, candygirl. I'll watch out & see how it goes. DS1 (the eczema one!) was ok with the stuff I washed so far - I did gloop with the sort of soap the dermatology nurse said to get for him, soda crystals, water & lavendar & geranium essential oils. I'll see how he gets on with it and let you all know! It's way cheaper than the ordinary non-bio, but not the cheapest it could be done for, as I got the supermarket's bars of soap that are suitable for vegetarians (as we are vegetarians...). I think the pack of 4 bars cost £1.18, and I've got the other bars for other uses.

I meant to tell you, I've been experimenting with the vinegar for conditioner - I half filled an empty conditioner bottle with malt vinegar, topped it up with water and added 2 or 3 drops of each of lavendar & geranium oils. It hardly smells of vinegar when I put it in the wash and when I iron the polo shirts doesn't smell at all. DS1 has been fine with that. (Plus I am less likely to drop the plastic bottle & drop it as I always feared doing with the big glass bottle of vinegar!

Fairie

Hi all,

i've been slowly mooching through the threads and have just come across you guys. We dont really buy that many cleaning products to begin with to be honest, but i'd still like to cut down to save money and waste.

I wonder if anybody could give me any homemade recipes for the following

- washing powder (normally buy a big box when its on offer and lasts us 6 months or so)
- washing up liquid (this is probably where we spend the most money on cleaning)
- polish (normally just dust with a cloth and water spray but sometimes i like the smell of polish and wonder if it can be substituted)
- toilet cleaner (again i think i may use this as i like the 'clean' smell but dont think it necessary if theres a cheaper/ better way)

have to admit i know there are lots of uses for bi-carb soda and white vinegar, but my knowledge of what the uses are is pretty slim to almost non-existant. Are these items good for any of the above - and are they cheaper?

lots of appologies if i've repeated questions - or am making you repeat answers - think i may have a slight ocd issue and feel the need to read the threads from scratch all the way through once i start (normally takes a long time as the threads move so fast) so am trying to be conservative with my time and am just jumping straight in.

In fact now that i've realised that i may need to put that in my sig! :-)

SpikyHedgehog

Fairie wrote: »

Hi all,

i've been slowly mooching through the threads and have just come across you guys. We dont really buy that many cleaning products to begin with to be honest, but i'd still like to cut down to save money and waste.

I wonder if anybody could give me any homemade recipes for the following

- washing powder (normally buy a big box when its on offer and lasts us 6 months or so)
- washing up liquid (this is probably where we spend the most money on cleaning)
- polish (normally just dust with a cloth and water spray but sometimes i like the smell of polish and wonder if it can be substituted)
- toilet cleaner (again i think i may use this as i like the 'clean' smell but dont think it necessary if theres a cheaper/ better way)

have to admit i know there are lots of uses for bi-carb soda and white vinegar, but my knowledge of what the uses are is pretty slim to almost non-existant. Are these items good for any of the above - and are they cheaper?

lots of appologies if i've repeated questions - or am making you repeat answers - think i may have a slight ocd issue and feel the need to read the threads from scratch all the way through once i start (normally takes a long time as the threads move so fast) so am trying to be conservative with my time and am just jumping straight in.

In fact now that i've realised that i may need to put that in my sig! :-)

Hi Faerie! I don't use polish very much as it makes me cough, but I do love my home made cleaning spray, I used an old window cleaner spray bottle and put in 2 tablespoons of vinegar, a few drops of favourite essential oils, a drop of washing up liquid and filled it up with water - works well & smells gorgeous! You could try that instead of your water spray to give a nice scent?

For toilet cleaning, I keep the brush in a holder with a fairly strong solution of all purpose cleaner and scrub the toilet out daily with that. It still smells fresh but doesn't cost as much as cleaner.

mcculloch29

I searched for ages on the Net for a decent, clear explanation on how to make laundry gloop. Anyway, I can't find the Gloop Thread on here again, so can I post what I did? It worked wonderfully well. I had to buy a nappy bucket from Boots to store it in, but it should quickly pay for itself
Laundry Gloop

Equipment req. 1 v. large saucepan (stockpot is ideal)
1 wooden spoon
Jug
Bucket or similar v. large plastic storage container with lid.

For the gloop:
1 bar of ordinary soap, finely grated
8 oz washing soda
8oz borax (not essential but stops gloop from foaming and acts as deodoriser)
9 litres hot water.
A few drops of essential oils (not necessary, but add a bit of scent)
Method.
Grate the soap as finely as you can.
Put in the large pan and add one and a half litres of boiling water, bring to a simmer on the stove and stir until dissolved. When dissolved, add the washing soda and borax and stir until this is dissolved.
Remove from heat and allow to cool SLIGHTLY then pour into bucket or other large receptacle, pref. one with a lid.
Add up to 8 litres of hot water, pop lid on and allow to set in a cool place.
Mine took about eight hours to set.
When set, it will look like blancmange.
Add a small cupful directly to the DRUM of your washing machine (not the dosing drawer) with the laundry.
If you have v.smelly laundry you may wish to add a scoop of Oxy -clean type granules to the dosing drawer.
Each washload will cost me about 2p, I calculated. It would have been 1p if I hadn't used the borax. I do use fabric softener but the laundry was clean and smelled clean. It's definitely worth a try!

SpikyHedgehog

mcculloch29 wrote: »

I searched for ages on the Net for a decent, clear explanation on how to make laundry gloop. Anyway, I can't find the Gloop Thread on here again, so can I post what I did? It worked wonderfully well. I had to buy a nappy bucket from Boots to store it in, but it should quickly pay for itself
Laundry Gloop

Equipment req. 1 v. large saucepan (stockpot is ideal)
1 wooden spoon
Jug
Bucket or similar v. large plastic storage container with lid.

For the gloop:
1 bar of ordinary soap, finely grated
8 oz washing soda
8oz borax (not essential but stops gloop from foaming and acts as deodoriser)
9 litres hot water.
A few drops of essential oils (not necessary, but add a bit of scent)
Method.
Grate the soap as finely as you can.
Put in the large pan and add one and a half litres of boiling water, bring to a simmer on the stove and stir until dissolved. When dissolved, add the washing soda and borax and stir until this is dissolved.
Remove from heat and allow to cool SLIGHTLY then pour into bucket or other large receptacle, pref. one with a lid.
Add up to 8 litres of hot water, pop lid on and allow to set in a cool place.
Mine took about eight hours to set.
When set, it will look like blancmange.
Add a small cupful directly to the DRUM of your washing machine (not the dosing drawer) with the laundry.
If you have v.smelly laundry you may wish to add a scoop of Oxy -clean type granules to the dosing drawer.
Each washload will cost me about 2p, I calculated. It would have been 1p if I hadn't used the borax. I do use fabric softener but the laundry was clean and smelled clean. It's definitely worth a try!

Well done! I made mine without borax (couldn't find it...) and it doesn't foam, so it might be worth trying it without it next time? I got DH to sniff some laundry yesterday and he said it smelt clean, why? I then explained that it had been washed in home-made laundry gloop, with home-made conditioner!

If you go to car boot sales, it could be worth looking out for nappy buckets? My mum has many she bought over the years, uses them in the garden to collect & transport water. She made me buy new ones for DS2 though as she said her's weren't fit to use in the house! I use the 2 I had for him (he's now 8), one in the bathroom for holding wet laundry pre washing so the stuff in the main basket doesn't get mouldy, the other has been used for many things but is now holding laundry gloop.

kippers

Can anyone help me find a shop that sells Borax? I thought wilkinsons sold it but when i asked yesterday they said they have stopped selling it and i've looked everywhere i can think of and i can't find it.

Thanks

SpikyHedgehog

I did a google shopping search and found a few places that sell it, and when I read through the threads on here about laundry, I think the suggestion was that chemists can get it. I'd try my local chemist & ask them if they could get it in & how much, and compare that to the online prices.

mcculloch29

I bought my borax in the North of England department store Boyes, though I had to hunt for it.
The shop assistant said that she had never heard of it, and she wasn't a young kid, but middle-aged.
I'm sure you would be able to get it by requesting it at chemists.

To be fair, mine actually says 'borax substitute'. It's sold in a green and white 500g packet under the brand name 'Clean and Natural'.

It's made by a company called Dri-Pak. If you Google Dri-Pak you will find they do a mail order service. :j