Homemade Product Recipes: Housecleaning & Maintaining

Basic Housecleaning Super Window & Glass Cleaner

1/3 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup rubbing alcohol
3 1/2 cup water 1 (32oz) spray bottle

1. Mix all ingredients in the spray bottle. Shake well before using.
2. Spray dirty window or other glass surface.
3. Dry with crumpled newspaper.

Benefits to Homemade Glass Cleaner: Less packaging waste. You’re not buying new bottles over and over. Less expensive. Less harmful (often not harmful at all) to humans, animals, and the earth. Less noxious home smell. Homemade natural cleaners always smell better than store bought. Well, except vinegar - but I have major vinegar issues. There are ways to mask the smell of vinegar though - not completely, but somewhat. Lavender essential oil and lemon juice both work some to hide the icky vinegar smell.

Laundry Soap

1/2 cup soap flakes
1/2 cup baking soda
1/4 cup washing soda
1/4 cup borax 1 clean 16oz plastic container w/ lid

1. To make the soap flakes, lightly grate a bar of pure soap, such as Ivory, on a coarse kitchen grater.
2. In a large bowl mix all the ingredients together. Store in a tightly sealed plastic container.
3. Use about 1/2 cup mixture, instead of detergent, in each laundry load

Fabric Softener

1/4 cup baking soda
1/2 cup white vinegar

1. Fill the washing Machine with water
2. Add the baking soda and then the clothing
3. During the final rinse cycle, add the vinegar (pour into the softener dispenser if your washing machine has one)

Stain Remover

1/3 cup clear household ammonia
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup baking soda
2 Tbs liquid castile soap
1 1/2 quarts water 1 clean half gallon plastic container
1 clean 16oz spray bottle
1. mix all the ingredients in a 1/2 gallon container. Pour some of the solution into the spray bottle. Shake well before each use
2. Spray liquid onto the stain and let set 3-5 min. Launder as usual

Benefits to Homemade Laundry Detergent: Washing and drying less often keeps your duds looking newer, longer. Chemical “surfactants” in laundry detergents can harm fish and human health long after they go down the drain, so less is best. With less laundry to do, you’ll have more time and money for the activities you actually enjoy!

Homemade Product Recipes: Food

Peanut Butter:

4 Cups shelled, salted dry roasted peanuts
1 Tbs. + 1 Tsp safflower or other mild flavored vegetable oil

For Creamy Style: Using a food processor or blender, and working in batches, process the peanuts and the oil until the desired consistency is reached. Stop and scrape down the processor container as needed.

For Chunky Style: Using a food processor or lender, course chop about 1/3 of the peanuts; set aside. Working in batches process the remaining peanuts with the oil until desired consistency is reached. Scrape down the processor container as needed. Stir in the chopped peanuts.

To Store: Scrape the peanut butter into a clean container with an airtight lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month

Makes 1 Cup

Benefits of Homemade Peanut Butter:
Commercial peanut/tree nut/seed butters (like other commercial products) are notorious for adding sugar, salt, hydrogenated oil, and other chemicals to extend shelf life. The processing of these products not only severely diminish, negate, or counteract the health benefits, but the taste and quality of the product are also compromised. The actually nutty flavour becomes secondary to sweetness or saltiness or worse – chemical aftertaste
Peanut butters that don't separate usually contain hydrogenated vegetable oils. This means they are full of trans fatty acids, which may cause heart problems. Peanut butter can be a valuable nutritional resource for children, who need extra dietary fat for proper growth and development. One tablespoon contains about 95 calories, with 5 g of protein, 8 g of polyunsaturated fat, and significant amounts of B vitamins, calcium, potassium, and magnesium, along with 100mg of sodium and traces of iron and zinc.