Most of you know that I am transitioning my household to natural living; using less commercial products and using more home-made products (eventually I will get to home grown). The hard part is that I was raised on commercial products. It’s easy to go to the supermarket and pick up what you need already packaged and smelling wonderful. Plus 30+ years of advertising has done a pretty good job of brainwashing to make me think that only certain products could clean my home effectively. I started out thinking that it was going to be difficult, expensive, and not as effective as commercial products. I soon found that it was not nearly as insurmountable, did not cost nearly as much, and was just as effective for my needs. Many of the supplies needed are purchased once every three to six months (in some cases a year) and can make virtually all of your household products. I am going to be sharing my journey with you in case this is something you are interested in as well.
I think one of the best places to start is laundry detergent. I was tired of paying almost $10 or more for detergent every couple of weeks. I like clean, fresh clothes plus I live in a hot State which means lots of sweat and lots of laundry. After doing some research I figured out a recipe that I liked and purchased supplies – Castile bar soap, Borax, baking soda, washing soda (different from baking soda), oxyclean (TM), and scent crystals (can also use essential oils). On the same subject of laundry, I swapped out fabric softener for plain distilled vinegar. My clothes are soft without the chemicals and the vinegar keeps my HE washer clean. If you have allergies and sensitivities, this is really the way to go. You can control what is in your detergent and save trips to the doctor. In addition, many of these ingredients can be used for other household cleaners such as dish detergent, dishwasher detergent, bathroom cleaner, and more. Your return on your investment is great!
I am still working through my first set of supplies and have made dish detergent as well as laundry detergent twice! It turned out that the batch of dish detergent also worked well in my shower! Vinegar I run through quickly since I use it to clean fruits and vegetables as well as for window cleaner, fabric softener, and dishwasher rinse agent. It also helps that my grocery bill has gone down and everything was at my local supermarket! (Essential oils will not likely be at your local grocer, but a health food store.) Everything takes less time to make than a trip to the grocery store.
If you have a house full of commercial products and don’t want to throw them away, go natural gradually like I did. As you finish commercial products, recycle/reuse the bottle and replace contents with your homemade version. If you need a bottle/container, stores like Ross, Marshalls, TJ Maxx always have mason jars, and air-tight containers in the kitchen section; especially if you like a little designer flare. Check out my Pinterest page for tons of recipes and more information. Next on my list to go natural…dishwasher tabs.
The Middle Reality 