5 Days of Favorite Family Recipes: Homemade All-Purpose Cleaner

So far this week I've share recipes for Australian Damper Loaf and Beef Tacos w/DIY Taco Seasoning...but today I'm going to take a step back from food and share with you a Favorite Family Recipe that is good for you...to clean with!

We threw out our store bought cleaners, once I started making my own versions with MUCH healthier and safer ingredients. I've discovered that my cleaners work just as well (and sometimes even BETTER) than anything that I've used before. And they still smell good and are good for sanitizing my home! After looking at several different recipes and trying out different ingredients, I recently came up with a *favorite* ingredient combo for a Homemade All-Purpose Cleaner that I want to share with you!

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The best place to find the large 28-oz empty spray bottles is a dollar store--they have them at Dollar General, Family Dollar, and Dollar Tree. WalMart is another option or any other grocery store with cleaning products. But the best price is going to be your dollar stores. Make sure you label it after it's filled up so you don't forget what is in it! Especially if you have several of them with homemade mixes!

To fill the bottle, I suggest a funnel. It offers you the highest chance of success...take this advice from one who had to clean up her counter when she tried to "freehand" the pouring of the liquids. LOL! 

I have tried recipes that call for vinegar and not the alcohol. They work good. But there is something about this one that seems to work better on my counters for taking off dried yucky stuff. You could use Vodka in it's place if you so desire.

You can buy a box of washing soda at most grocery stores in the laundry detergent section. This recipe calls for a tiny amount, but washing soda is in a lot of other homemade cleaners AND you can use it in my Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent recipe too. It's also great as a general add in for laundry.

Liquid castile soap can usually be found in stores with organic or natural food and body products sections. I know you can get it at Fred Meyers, Kroger, Jungle Jims, and Trader Joe's to name a few. I like to use the citrus scented one in my cleaners, but any will work.

I have tried a LOT of different essential oil combinations in my cleaners. The main ones that you find in recipes across the board for homemade versions are usually Lavender, Rosemary, Lemon and Tea Tree. This is because these are disinfectant wonders! Not only do they have incredible anti-microbial and anti-bacterial properties, but they smell good too!

If you count up the drops of essential oil it adds up to 25 drops of oil. If you don’t have some of these that I have listed, you are more than able to change them out for what you do have! Simply adjust the number of drops for the oils you have!

Here are some other anti-microbial essential oils that you could try too:

Basil, Bergamot, Eucalyptus, Fir, Juniper, Lemongrass, Orange, Oregano, Peppermint, Pine

If you have a name brand oil blend like Thieves (Young Living), Purify (doTerra), or something similar, you could use that too! I like to swap out the Lemon and Lime, replacing them with 5 drops of Purify when using this recipe. Are you seeking a supplier of essential oil--maybe even looking for organic essential oils? I have nothing but good to say about the quality of the essential oils I have purchased from Mountain Rose Herbs.  They are one of the few companies that carries certified organic essential oils. They are very high quality and I have purchased nearly all of my single oils from them. Their price is very reasonable and you can order straight from their website. They carry a wide range of oils--including the exotic ones.
Enjoy using this fresh smelling and disinfecting all-purpose cleaner for your counters, cabinets, refrigerator, blinds, tile, sinks, tubs...just about anything with a surface that needs cleaning!  (Except laminate floors. It's too harsh for that. Trust me on this one.)
Print the recipe for Homemade All-Purpose Cleaner
***** I'd love for you to pop over and see what other things are going to be covered by our crew this week!

To make it even easier, here are some of the ladies who are participating with me in this great series this week--if you start with them, I know you will find something that is interesting for you!

Anne Marie @ Future.Flying.Saucers ~ Christian Worldview 101

Marya @ Suncoast Momma ~ Homeschooling Special Needs

Kym @ Homeschool Coffee Break ~ Ordinary Homeschooling

Dawn @ Double O Farms ~ Helping Your Struggling Learner

Gena @ I Choose Joy! ~ Homeschooling Middle School

Christine @ Our Homeschool Reviews ~ Free and Frugal Homeschooling

Monique @ Living Life and Learning ~ Homeschooling with Lapbooks

DaLynn @ For the Display of His Splendor ~ Diagramming the Proverbs

Fresh from the Kitchen: Homemade Elderberry Syrup (with pictures!)

To stay on top of the fall and winter sniffles, we really took advantage of our homemade elderberry syrup this year! It didn’t matter who had them—everyone got a spoonful…yes, even daddy! But now that spring is upon me, I found that I was running low on my stash, so it was time to make another batch. 

I was blessed to get this recipe from my friend Anna at Where my Treasure Is...who had gotten it from someone herself. This is the same recipe. I have had requests to show a photo step-by-step of my process as well as the recipe, so here you go all you visual learners!!

recipe courtesy of The Family Homestead

  You just need three or four ingredients to make this syrup: 

elderberries (Dried or fresh), water, honey and Brandy/whiskey (optional) 

While we do have elderberry bushes here near me, I have to beat the birds to the berries as they are in tall, TALL bushes…and on the other side of a chain link fence! But this year I’m going to get some! So…since I don’t have any fresh, I use dried elderberries. I order mine from Mountain Rose Herbs. They are a great price and I can get 2 ½ batches from the quantity I order (I think it's the 8 oz).

So let’s get started…

Add 1 cup of dried berries (or 3 cups fresh) to 3 cups of water in a large pot or saucepan (depends on how big of batch you are making).

Before they are cooked, the berries float on the top...

 Bring to a boil—then reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour uncovered. And you will know once they boil because they will smell. Elderberries are a rather potent smelling berry when cooked. I have to open my windows because it can get rather overpowering! LOL!

You can see that the simmered berries looks much different as it released all the good juices.

 Strain out berries—you can use cheesecloth, a dishtowel or a mesh strainer. But be forewarned—these stain!!! So unless you use something old or able to be thrown away, I don’t recommend using cloth. I have a small mesh strainer which is ideal—no staining! I strain into a glass Pyrex bowl...

Now if you have chickens or other poultry, they will LOVE your leftover berries! If you don’t have any, compost it or toss it into your garden.

At this point you have a nice rich juice and it’s time to turn it into a syrup…

   Now you need to have your honey ready—and whiskey or brandy if you are going to add it. So far I have been using whiskey. We can get these little bottles of whiskey locally for just $3.00. 

What is the benefit of adding the alcohol?
You can keep it in your fridge for several months as it “preserves” it.  If you choose to not add it, you can keep it in small bottles in the freezer to use as needed. I prefer to have it in my fridge since I use it for smoothies and want it readily available in the chance of needing to dose it out. And since I know whiskey/brandy is an “old fashioned remedy" for coughs/colds (hot toddy anyone??) I like adding it to my batch.

You will also need to have out the container you are going to put it in. I love my big 2 quart canning jars for this. I also have an empty brandy bottle (from previous batches!) that I use for the dosing bottle.

 Add 1 ½ cups of honey and 1 tablespoon of brandy/whiskey (if using) to the elderberry juice and stir until dissolved. It will start looking syrupy…

   

Pour into the container you will store it in and label it!

I like to write the dosage on the lid of my jar so anyone can read it…

It should say "2-3 times a day or as needed" but since I'm the one who administers it, it's not a big deal.

When someone starts to get the first symptoms of a cold/flu, start giving them a spoonful 2 to 3 times daily.

Adults= 1 tablespoon

Children = 1 teaspoon

So there you have it!  It’s a great recipe and really does help keep your immune system going strong! We like to match it with our favorite tea for when you are starting to feel icky—Traditional Medicinals Organic Echinacea Elder. We were able to keep the flu at bay and the sickies to a minimum over the fall/winter season!

Homemade Elderberry Syrup(source)

1 cup dried elderberries (If you have a source of fresh elderberries you can also use about 3 cups fresh to equal the 1 cup dried)
3 cups water
1 ½ cups honey
Optional, but not necessary is 1 tablespoon of brandy/whiskey. This helps preserve the syrup.

In a large pot combine the elderberries and water. Bring this to a boil and reduce heat. Let simmer for about 1 hour, uncovered. Strain out the elderberries. You can use an old clean dishcloth to strain your berries (but it will get stained so make sure it is an old one). Add the honey and optional brandy and stir till dissolved. Store this syrup in the refrigerator in a glass canning jar or if you did not add the brandy then store in smaller bottles in the freezer. This way you can take a small bottle out as needed. When you or someone in your family shows the first symptoms of a cold or the flu begin taking spoonful two to three times daily. An adult spoonful would equal about a tablespoon and a child’s spoonful would be a teaspoon or so.

Easy Peasy Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent

My family is making an effort to become as toxin free as we can in our house...and one of the things we've eliminated is store-bought laundry detergent. Now we could buy the GOOD detergent...but it's so expensive that I would much rather make my own for a fraction of the cost...and my recipe works just as well, if not BETTER than any detergent I've tried...and I've tried a LOT!

Since I decided to make a batch today I figured I would share a step-by-step tutorial of the process for all of you who are VERY visual (like me!). I've also given you a link to where you can download and print off a copy of my recipe for yourself at the bottom of this post...making it easy for you to give this a try--and it really doesn't take long to make...can be done in 30 minutes since the longest thing is just waiting for your water to get hot!

The #1 thing to remember about homemade detergent...it will NOT suds and foam like store bought detergent...but do NOT think that means it's not going to clean. Trust me, you don't need suds to clean. Your clothes won't care if they aren't taking a bubble bath!

Okay so what do you need?

* bar of soap--you can use any soap really, but if you want to keep it free from all that junk in most commercial brands stick with these brands: Ivory, Fels-Naptha, Castille or your "good" soap bar of choice. I use Ivory because you can get it about anywhere and it's cheap--just $1-$2 for 3 bars. Stay away from heavily perfumed bars though...kind of defeats the purpose of making a fragrance free and such.

* 1/2 c. Borax--you can buy this at Wal*Mart, Safeway, Kroger, Meijer...just about any grocery store in the laundry detergent section. Even my local grocery store has it. It's in a box. About $3-5 a box depending on where you get it...but it's a big box and you can make a LOT of detergent with it.

*1/2 c. Washing Soda--also purchased at these same stores in the same place. In fact most stores stock them side by side. Also in a box and runs from $2-4. Again...one box does a lot of detergent!

*Water--you can use distilled or tap...doesn't really matter in my opinion.

*Essential Oils--optional: peppermint, lavender, tea tree oil, rosemary, etc...

*You also need a Stock Pot or any other pot at least the size of a dutch oven, a Pail or old Detergent containers to put your NEW detergent in...(needs to be a LEAST 1 gallon--because this makes 2 gallons. So get a couple of them if you have them--or just keep it in a bucket!), and a Grater

I recommend getting all your ingredients ready before you start--it's just easier to have it measured and ready to go.

Start by grating your bar of soap and measuring out your Borax and Washing Soda.

Now heat up 3 pints of water in your stock pot--doesn't have to be to a boil--just get it steaming and hot! You also need to heat up in a separate container (I use my tea kettle) 1 quart of water to be used later.

(my el-cheapo stock pot for making detergent)

To the hot water in your stock pot (or whatever you have the 3 pints in), add the grated bar of soap and stir it until it's completely dissolved. Won't take long. Maybe about 5-8 minutes.

(see, you can clearly use a smaller container if you don't have a stock pot)

Next add in your borax and washing soda...again, stir until dissolved. Remove from heat.

Now you need to get your container you are going to store this in out and make sure it's clean.

(I recommend also getting a funnel if you are messy like me!)
 Pour in the quart of hot water you heated up separately. Now pour in your heated soap water.

(I use my old detergent containers--perfect size and great to shake!)

Note: If you are going to use TWO containers, then split the hot water between them and then split the soap water equally between them too.

Now top off your containers of hot soapy water with COLD water and stir well. If you use an old laundry detergent container just put the lid on really good and shake it, baby! This mixes it all up really well.

And that's it! Yep, easy as that! I think it's nice to write on your containers the date you made the detergent so you can see how quickly you use it up.

When you are ready to use it--and you can use it right away if you want--just add 1/4 to 1/2 cup per load. Make sure you shake/stir the detergent before you use it each time because it will gel up.

Once your detergent cools, feel free to add 10-15 drops (per TWO gallons) of your essential oil of choice to your detergent. Make sure it's added once the soap is cooled and shake/stir it REALLY good. I like to mix lavender and peppermint in mine...some other choices are rosemary and tea tree oil.

Now--a note about this recipe. This recipe originally came from my mom, but this version is MY recipe which means I've tweaked it to fit my washing needs. I have two kids who adore mud and get grass stains on nearly everything. I also have a mechanic for a husband who comes home with clothes that can stand up by themselves from all the grit, dirt, grease and only our Father God knows what else...so I needed a heavy duty detergent--which means I added extra soap to my recipe!

If you don't need one that heavy duty, then just use 1/3 of a bar of soap in your mixture!!

Another change I've made is that I use all the measurements above but only use ONE container--1.17 gallons (see picture above)--which means I use a more concentrated detergent. So this is another option...just make sure you decrease the amount of detergent you put into each load.

I tried out my concentrated formula in today's nasty mechanic clothes load and it worked like a charm!

If you want to print a recipe for yourself, here is your link:

Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent

Feel free to pin and share the link to this blog post since I'd love for others to see how easy it is to make your own laundry detergent!