DIY Dishwasher Detergent

This post has been a long time coming, but I am happy to be able to finally share this recipe for homemade dishwasher detergent, courtesy of my friend Kim. The good thing about being so busy that I haven't been blogging much is that it's given me a solid two and a half weeks of using this recipe non-stop -- my dishwasher runs an average of once a day. That means you all get my honest-to-goodness opinion on how well this homemade version works (versus the over-the-moon excitement I felt the first time I used it).

Aside from the citric acid, which I purchased on Amazon, these are all ingredients that you can find in any grocery store. This is always something I appreciate in a homemade cleaning solution. Four ingredients is a manageable amount, in my opinion, which is another plus. Everything is reasonably priced, with the citric acid being the priciest component (breakdown of cost to follow).

The main reason for why I wanted to make my own dishwasher detergent wasn't to save money -- although I will do that! The real purpose was to eliminate more chemical crap from the household. This was one area that I have had a hard time finding a good natural alternative to. (I had previously tried a different recipe and it didn't work all that well. In fact, this turned my off from even trying again for a good 18 months or so!) However, my greener spring cleaning series of posts raised the question "What do you use in your dishwasher?" and this prompted me to seek out a better alternative.

Good news, folks! While this one doesn't always remove every single food particle (and let's be honest, your store-bought stuff isn't always up to the tough jobs either, right?), it works pretty darn well -- much better than the previous recipe. (To be fair, the primary reason that I occasionally find stuck-on food is what I will refer to as "operator error." I tend to overload the dishwasher, and that doesn't help it to do its thing in the most efficient way possible -- but I'm stubborn, and I refuse to run it unless it's full, so that's my catch-22.) My conclusion is that it has to be the citric acid that is making this work because that's the only difference from what I had tried before. (On a side note, I've seen some other recipes for dishwasher detergent lately, and many of them call for lemonade mix. My guess is that people have found the citric acid in it to be the magic ingredient that really cleans their dishes. My only thought here is, why use something that has artificial colors, flavors, and other added stuff when you can purchase pure citric acid and get the job done in a more natural way?) Just my two cents.

On the subject of dollars and cents, you may be asking, is homemade dishwasher detergent really a good value? Yup! Breaking this down, I found this to actually be cheaper than the Member's Mark dishwasher pacs we were buying in bulk at Sam's Club. (105 pacs at $9.98 works out to about 10 cents per use.) The Borax and Super Washing Soda are both things I have had at home for years and have been used for many different things including homemade laundry soap and all-purpose cleaner -- and I'm still working from the original boxes. (55 ounces of Super Washing Soda which cost $2.89 when I bought it and 76 ounces of Borax, which was $3.42 at the time. There is no way that you will convince me that these are not good values because even if you don't use them for the dishwasher detergent, you will use them for something.) Honestly, I don't remember how much I paid for my coarse Kosher salt, but I think it was less than $5, so for my calculations I am just going to overestimate and say it was $5 for the 48 ounce box. Again, citric acid was the most expensive at $11.99 for 36 ounces.

So, 55 ounces of Super Washing Soda divided by 8 ounces (per the recipe below) = 6 batches (plus a bit extra, but let's work in whole batches here.) This means that this ingredient costs 48 cents per batch. Borax: 76 divided by 8 = 9 batches, at a cost of 38 cents per batch. Coarse salt (again, I think I overestimated the cost): 48 ounces divided by 4 = 12 batches, at a cost of 42 cents (probably less) per batch. Citric acid: 36 ounces divided by 4 = 9 batches, at a cost of 75 cents per batch. Total cost = $2.03 for 3 cups of homemade detergent. If using the max recommended amount of two tablespoons per load (personally, I have found this to work better than one tablespoon), this works out to 24 uses per batch at a cost of 8 cents per use -- that's 2 cents cheaper than the least expensive store-bought cleaner that we were previously using. Since this only takes a couple of minutes to mix up and it keeps (meaning you don't have to mix up a new batch each time, which can be annoying with some recipes for homemade cleaning products), this is 100% worth your time to make! It's always nice to know exactly what goes into your cleaning products. Here's the recipe.

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

• 1 cup Borax
• 1 cup Super Washing Soda
• 1/2 cup coarse salt (I used Kosher)
• 1/2 cup citric acid

1. Mix well. (I stirred mine in a large glass bowl, but Kim puts hers in a container with a lid and shakes it up.) 
2. Use 1-2 tablespoons per load. 
3. Optional: You can also add vinegar to the rinse cycle, which I have been doing. This is a natural way to get shiny, spot-free dishes. I just filled the rinse cycle compartment and let the dishwasher dispense it during the rinse cycle.

(Note: Kim suggests storing the detergent in the freezer to prevent clumping, but I have not really had an issue with this. Mine is being stored in an old dishwasher detergent container under my kitchen sink.)

Thanks for reading! This was my 600th blog post. Cue trumpets. Okay, not really. Maybe for my upcoming 4th blogiversary...

Homemade Eyeliner (So Easy!)

Okay, this is seriously the easiest homemade makeup you will ever see directions for. One all-natural ingredient and just two simple steps. I don't see a reason why anybody could not make this themselves at home! Save yourself some money and know exactly what is in your eyeliner -- win-win. (I found the idea for making my own eyeliner here.)

First, go get yourself a bottle of activated charcoal capsules. You can find them at vitamin stores, health food stores (where I found mine), or online. These are NOT the same as charcoal from your grill. Activated charcoal is meant to be taken internally for gastrointestinal issues (food poisoning, for example) so it's considered completely safe for cosmetic purposes.

My bottle contained 90 gelatin capsules and it cost $10.59. This won't expire until September of 2017, so I am set for eye makeup for 3+ years. (I'm currently working on a homemade mascara, which also calls for activated charcoal. I am wearing it in the picture below, but for today, I just want you to focus on the eyeliner.) Considering how much I was spending before to get bareMinerals makeup -- which still contained things I could not pronounce (even though it was decidedly safer than the cheap drugstore makeup I had previously purchased) -- this is a steal!

{Wet Application, Dry Application}

How to Make Your Own Eyeliner (So Easy!):

1. Grab a small container with a lid. (Mine is plastic and came in a 10-pack at Dollar Tree. A small glass jar would be ideal, but I didn't have one on hand.) Open an activated charcoal capsule and dump the contents into the container. (Your hands will get a little messy, but it washes away easily.)
2. Apply your eyeliner with a small brush. (I suggest getting an eyeliner brush for this. Mine is from Ulta.) For a simple day-time look, I just dip my brush into the charcoal and apply it dry. For a more dramatic night-time look (or if you just like a more intense eyeliner for day-time), first wet your brush slightly, then dip it into the charcoal and line your eyes. Use small motions and add more as needed for best results. This stays put well and washes away easily at the end of the day (I use the oil cleanse method for face washing and eye makeup removal.)

{I capsule = about 1/4 teaspoon}

A Few Notes:

• Please note that my eyeliner is is not "perfect." It does leave a small amount of dust beneath my eyes by the end of the day. However, to be fair, the way more expensive eye makeup that I was purchasing did the same thing!
• To me, this is still tops because it is safe, easy to apply, and very affordable!
• In my self-portrait, I model both application methods. On the left, is the more dramatic wet-application, and on the right is the softer dry application. I have not tried it, but I think you could use the dry application over your entire lid for a very-wearable neutral gray eye shadow.
• Also, in the photo, I am modeling my homemade beet root eye shadow, which I love!
• I should probably mention that I lined my top lids only, which is my personal preference. That's the way I have done it for years. You can line both the top and bottom if you like that look better.
• I "made" this eyeliner 3 weeks ago, and I'm estimating that the one capsule will last me about another 3 weeks with almost daily usage. This is perfect, I think. Not so long that I have to worry about bacteria growth, but still not so short that I am forever having to "make" more eyeliner.

Some More of My Favorite Homemade Makeup Recipes:

• Eye Shadow
• Blush
• Tinted Lip Gloss

Mascara and face powder recipes are in the works, so I'll let you know when they are share-worthy!

Greener Spring Cleaning: Part 7 (Homemade Fruit & Veggie Wash)

If you've been following along, I am cleaning up my house with homemade (safe and cheap!) cleaning solutions including these for:

1. Windows
2. Room Freshening Spray
3. Carpets and Hard Floors
4. Counters, Sinks, Tubs
5. Toilets
6. Wood Furniture, etc.

Admittedly this next one is a bit of a stretch to be filed under "spring cleaning" but it is too great not to share while I'm working on this series of greener cleaning solutions. I use this fruit and veggie spray wash each day (usually several times) and I am guessing that you will, too! This was another one that I learned about at a recent MOPS meeting and wondered why I had never done this before.

I don't think I have to tell you that your produce has stuff on it that you would rather it didn't -- pesticides, wax residue, whatever... Even if you're buying organic or growing your own vegetables, I think this is something you will want to have on hand. (And this is coming from someone who until very recently only rinsed her produce with water, knowing full well that this wasn't good enough.) Save yourself some worry and mix up a batch of spray wash to keep it right next to the sink. Then, you have no excuse to try to get away with just a water rinse like I was doing.

{All Natural Homemade Produce Wash Spray}

Fruit and Vegetable Spray Wash

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup vinegar
• 2 Tbs lemon juice
• 10 drops grapeseed oil*(optional)

1. Place ingredients in a brand new spray bottle (Dollar Tree has nice ones) and shake gently. (A funnel is handy, but not necessary.)
2. Spray onto veggies and let set for about 2-3 minutes. (Or longer, if you're busy with something else. I was told you can leave it longer on root vegetables, say up to 15 minutes. I have not found that it leaves a taste on anything I've tried: raspberries, grapes, green beans, potatoes, carrots, pears, strawberries...) So easy!
3. If you wish, you can rinse before eating, but this is not necessary. All of the ingredients used are safe for ingestion.

Grapeseed oil is one that is new to me but it has several uses including as a cooking oil because it contains antioxidants. It's also used as a carrier oil for skin moisturizers, so this is handy for both external and internal applications. Technically, the directions I was given said to use grapeseed extract* for this, but I chose to get grapeseed oil instead. I found mine at a health food store. You can totally skip it if you prefer. Vinegar and lemon juice will clean the produce just fine.

Two ways to use your fruit/veggie spray:

1. Plug your clean sink and fill it with water. Add several spritzes of the veggie wash spray and let soak.
2. If you're like me and you know your kitchen sink is rarely as clean as it should be, place fruits and veggies in a large bowl. Then, add 2-3 sprays of veggie wash and let soak. (Guess which method I use? No shame in it!)

Greener Spring Cleaning: Part 6 (Homemade Furniture Polish)

If you've been following along with my series on greener spring cleaning solutions then you have probably already seen how to clean:

1. windows
2. room freshening spray
3. carpet stains and hard floors
4. tubs, counters, and sinks
5. toilets

If you happened to miss any of those, just click on the links to learn more.

Chances are that you've got some wooden furniture somewhere in your house that could use a little TLC. Whether it's dull, dirty, or covered in sticky finger prints, this homemade recipe for dusting solution/furniture polish can take care of it. It cleans and conditions the wood, leaving nothing behind but a beautiful shine  -- no harsh or dangerous chemicals. (I'm not going to claim that it will repair dings and scratches, but it certainly can't hurt!)

You can quickly and easily make this at home with just two common ingredients: olive oil and distilled white vinegar. (Thanks Green Grandma, for teaching me this!) There are a couple of different options, both very inexpensive and effective!

Option 1: Basic "Salad Dressing" Furniture Polish
Mix equal parts olive oil (mine is extra virgin, but use whatever you have at hand) with distilled white vinegar. (If you still don't have this, you need to get some -- preferably a gallon -- because you can clean anything with it!) Place in container (I use a glass jar that used to hold honey mustard) and label it: 50/50 olive oil/DWV. You can add a note that it's for furniture polish. Apply to wooden furniture (or lots of other stuff; see my list below) with a microfiber cloth and wipe clean.

Option 2: Extra Oomph "Orange Power" Furniture Polish 
This is my preference, and I've been using it for about 2 1/2 years. The citrus smells pleasant and it's a natural de-greaser. Bonus! (If you're new to cleaning with vinegar, this might be a good introduction since it doesn't smell like straight vinegar and people often complain that they can't stand the vinegar smell. Trust me, though, you will get used to it. And someday, you may grow to hate the smell of all store-bought cleaners! It happened to me.)

I used to just make my orange-vinegar by soaking orange peels in my vinegar for an indeterminate amount of time... It shouldn't go bad for a loooooong time. Then, I would pour out some of my orange-vinegar and mix it with the olive oil whenever I needed a new batch of furniture polish. Again, mix equal parts of orange-vinegar with olive oil, store in a labeled glass jar, and apply with microfiber cloth.

{3-Ingredient Homemade Furniture Polish}

Notes on Making Orange Power Vinegar:
At a recent MOPS meeting, I learned that you can also strain the orange vinegar after two weeks of soaking. (Shake the jar whenever you happen to think of it.) Then, place it in a spray bottle and voila! Homemade citrus cleaner that you can use most anywhere. You can also keep some in the jar, because like I said, it should last a very long time.

I haven't tried it with lemon or grapefruit peels, but I have used clementine peels, and they also work. I think any citrus peel is handy for this. When you're ready to toss out the peels that have already soaked and served their purpose, just toss them in your garbage disposal and run it for cleaning and deodorizing.

{Left = BEFORE, Right = AFTER}

Places I have used this furniture polish with success:

• tables
• chairs
• book cases
• picture frames (best for wood, but can be used on other frames -- avoid smearing glass, if possible)
• wooden legs of upholstered furniture
• kitchen cabinets
• knick knacks
• window ledges
• banisters/stair rails
• dressers
• wall shelves
• particle board/MDF type furniture pieces
• removing stickers and sticky residue (Just yesterday, Mia was coloring at the dining table and her drawing paper was stuck to who knows what? Anyway, the paper tore when she tried to pick it up, leaving behind a sticky mess. I grabbed my orange power furniture polish and a microfiber cloth and easily removed it all without too much elbow grease. Better and safer than Goo Gone!)
• electronics (I am NOT suggesting that you do this, merely confessing that I have done so very carefully when I already had the cloth in my hand and was cleaning the entertainment center anyway... Usually, I flip over the cloth, so it's more of a "dry dust" for the TV, DVD player, etc. Again, I don't recommend it, but it has worked for me with no negative effects that I am aware of.)

Greener Spring Cleaning: Part 5 (Homemade Toilet Cleaners)

If you missed my earlier posts this week, so far I have shared greener cleaning tips for:

• Windows
• Room Freshening Spray
• Carpets and Hard Floors
• Sinks, Tubs, and Counters

Now, see if you can guess what I was using to clean toilets until recently... If you said "homemade all-purpose cleaner" then you can go right to the head of the class. You're such a good reader! Yep, that was my favorite for toilets (and literally everything else) until a couple of weeks ago, when I decided to switch it up a bit.

Today, I am sharing with you a few different recipes for homemade toilet bowl cleaners, and I have to say that I am waaaaaay more excited by this than I probably should be! Some are very basic and some take slightly more effort, but the end results are worth it.


Homemade Toilet Bowl Cleaner #1 (Vinegar)
First up, Green Grandma suggests that you need nothing more than straight distilled white vinegar for cleaning toilet bowls. Simply add a cup or two and walk away for a few hours. Then, come back and scrub the bowl.

This is my least favorite, to be honest. The vinegar alone doesn't cling or fizz or do anything that "shows" that it is doing its job. There is nothing else to make it smell a bit better; even though I am much more accustomed to the smell of vinegar, it is still a bit much when you use a large amount in undiluted form. (NOTE: I do realize that we do NOT need any fake fragrance to make everything smell "fresh" or "clean" -- that is a marketing gimmick. True "clean" has no smell.) Even though I know that this is perfectly effective for killing germs, it's not my first choice. It is, however, very cheap, very easy to use and completely non-toxic, so it deserves mention in the lineup of natural choices.


Homemade Toilet Bowl Cleaner #2 (Vinegar + Baking Soda)
Pour a cup of baking soda into the toilet bowl and then follow with a cup of white vinegar. You get the fizzing action and once it's done, you scrub the bowl. Baking soda neutralizes odors and vinegar kills germs. Straightforward, right? (You can adjust the proportions to your preferences.) You can also follow with lemon juice or a few drops of lavender essential oil if you want it to smell nice. Safe, cheap, effective, and you can easily do this with everyday kitchen items. No mixing or storing needed.


Homemade Toilet Bowl Cleaner #3 
I learned about this recipe at a MOPS meeting:

• 3/4 cup baking soda
• 3/4 cup white vinegar
• 10 drops tea tree oil
• 10 drops lavender essential oil

1. In a mixing bowl, combine baking soda and essential oils (Lavender smells nice and both lavender and tea tree oils have antiseptic qualities).
2. Add vinegar to the toilet bowl and then pour in the baking soda mixture.
3. Allow the fizzing of the chemical reaction to take place and then scrub with a toilet brush.

For all three of the above recipes I asked myself, "Now what about the rest of the toilet? The seat, lid, outside of the tank...?" These all have to get clean, too, so of course, I used that all-purpose cleaner and a sponge. Sometimes, this seemed like more work, so that was why I often just used the all-purpose spray cleaner for the whole shebang. One product, and done. 

Then, I tried this next recipe (also from the MOPS meeting), which calls for castile soap. It is far and away, my favorite homemade toilet cleaner. EVER! (In other news, I am really, really in LOVE with castile soap, and I plan to use it in my next batch of all-purpose cleaner, in place of dish soap.) Without further ado, here is my new FAVE homemade toilet cleaner recipe! (Who knew I would ever use that expression?)

{My New FAVE Homemade Toilet Cleaner}

Homemade Toilet Bowl Cleaner #4

• 3/4 cup baking soda
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon castile soap with tea tree (I used unscented castile soap.) 
• 3-5 drops of tea tree oil (if using unscented castile soap)

1. In a 2-cup measuring cup with a spout, or a measuring bowl, mix together the baking soda and water.
2. Add castile soap (and tea tree oil, if desired) and stir.
3. Pour into a squeeze bottle (I used an clean, empty condiment dispenser.) and make sure it is covered by a finger or cap. Then shake well. If you do not have a mixing bowl or measuring cup with a spout, a funnel may be helpful. (Remember, do NOT use old cleaning product containers from toilet bowl cleaners or that sort of thing.) 
4. If the consistency is too runny, add a little extra baking soda. You want it to be thick enough to cling to the inside of the toilet bowl. (As another side note: You can make this recipe and yesterday's recipe for my other new favorite, homemade soft scrub, all with a single 1-pound box of baking soda!)
5. To use, squeeze out enough to coat the inside of the toilet bowl. (The recipe said this makes enough clean two toilets, but I found that it was enough to clean three.) You can either scrub immediately OR you can walk away and let it set. I have tried both ways, but I can't say that I noted any distinct differences. Just do whatever is easiest for you.
6. Now, as a bonus, I decided to clean the rest of the toilet with this cleaner instead of reaching my my all-purpose spray cleaner. I just put a small amount onto a sponge and wiped everything clean. Tip: Start with the less dirty surfaces (top of tank, handle) and work your way toward the germier surfaces (outside of bowl, where spray happens, if you have a boy) and so on until you have cleaned it seat and all. (Don't forget to clean your sponge. I put mine in the dishwasher, but it seems that there is a microwave cleaning method that I have heard about, too.)

So, there you go. Non-toxic, effective, and you can clean the whole toilet -- inside and out -- with this single recipe! It doesn't smell funky. It clings to the bowl very well, and you even get some fizzing action, if you like that sort of thing. The only possible downside is that you will need to mix up another batch the next time you want to clean toilets. (I had fun doing this, so I don't see that as a problem.)

Plus, putting it into a condiment dispenser? This is brilliant! I was so excited to hear this idea. If you make this one, don't forget to label your container with a permanent marker. Include the recipe, so you can make it again without looking it up. Enjoy!

Greener Spring Cleaning: Part 4 (Homemade Hard Surface Cleansers)

Spring is in the air around here for sure. Both outdoors and inside our home are starting to smell fresh. Today, I spent some time tackling the grime on various hard surfaces: tub, counters, sinks, and toilets. (More on that last one to come later...)

I've already mentioned my old standby, homemade all-purpose cleaner, a few times this week. So, I won't keep blathering on about that. I will just mention that it is what I have used for the past few years to clean counters, sinks, the tub (and toilets). That said, I will add that I am more recently interested in a couple of cleanser recipes that I learned about at our last MOPS meeting. I am excited to share the results with you!

Homemade All Purpose Scrub

• 1 cup baking soda
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup washing soda
• 1/8 - 1/4 cup salt
• 10-20 drops essential oil of choice (optional)

(We made this at the meeting and did not include any essential oils. I haven't added my own, so I can't comment on how that works, but here are the directions I was given. I have been using it around the house for over a week now.)

1. Use a spoon to mix the ingredients, distributing the oils. (We just scooped the dry ingredients into a baggie to take home and put into our own containers, but if using essential oils, you will most likely want do your mixing in a medium size bowl.)
2. Store in a mason jar or a Parmesan cheese container. (I also learned at the meeting that the lid from an old Parmesan container fits onto a canning jar. What an awesome epiphany that was! This is how I am currently storing my scrub cleanser.)
3. Use as you would a powder scrub cleanser (like Comet). Sprinkle directly onto counters, sinks, etc. and wipe with a damp sponge or cloth or sprinkle onto the sponge or cloth and then wipe surfaces.

Observations:

• I was worried about the salt being irritating for dry, cracked skin. I was relieved to find that this was not a problem.
• This is not my absolute favorite cleaner because the powder seems to take a few extra swipes to get cleaned away. (Not that it's bad. It's certainly safer than a lot of things I could be using, but I never used powder cleansers even when I did use store-bought cleaners. This is just not my preference.)
• I was really optimistic that this would erase old stains on counter tops, but alas, it didn't do the trick. (Read on for what did, though!)
• One thing it did work great for was getting rid of the ring of grime that was where the counter top meets the outside edge of the sink -- worked better than anything else I can think of!
• Positive features: This is quick and easy to make. One batch will last a long time. You do not need many ingredients, and all of them are inexpensive and readily available and your local grocery store. (Find Washing Soda in the laundry aisle -- not to be confused with baking soda.)
• I would be very leery of using this on wooden tables. Not that you were probably considering that, but I figured it was worth mentioning. It could very likely scratch the finish. So, if you are looking for a recipe for a cleaning product that you can use anywhere in the kitchen and dining room, this would not be my recommendation.

Homemade Soft Scrub Cleanser

• 3/4 cup baking soda
• 1/4 cup castile soap
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 10-15 drops tea tree oil (optional)

1. Combine baking soda and castile soap in a medium bowl.
2. Add water and tea tree oil (which has antiseptic qualities) and stir mixture with a fork.
3. Add vinegar slowly as it will bubble up.
4. Stir until it has a paste-like consistency.
5. Pour into a container, using a funnel, if you wish. (Mine is stored in an old kids' shampoo container. I will not mention the brand name because I don't want you to think I am recommending it. Knowing now what I wish I had known then, I never would have used that stuff on my children! You might also wish to use an empty dish soap bottle or another type of squeeze bottle.)
6. To use the soft scrub, squeeze out a small amount onto a sponge or directly onto the surface that you want to clean.

{Safe and Green Homemade Soft Scrub!}

Observations:

• This was my first experience using castile soap, and honestly, I had no clue what I was missing! It is wonderful. I bought the unscented version, but you could make this with any of the other scents that it comes in such as tea tree or lavender. (Mine is Dr. Bronner's brand and I got it at the nearest health food store.)
• Confession: I didn't really like the smell of tea tree oil when I first started using some months back (for making moisturizing oil). Lately, though, I have been using it for more homemade concoctions and the scent is definitely growing on me. I'm not going to make perfume out of it or anything, but... It's worth it to give it a chance.
• This homemade stuff is AMAZING! Just gently scrubbing with a sponge helped more with some counter top stains in the master bathroom that anything else I have tried in the 8 years we have lived here. (I have no clue what the stains are. They came with the house, but my best guess is coffee.) Anyway, I decided to kick things up a notch and combined this soft scrub with an old toothbrush and some good old-fashioned elbow grease and BAM! The stains are almost gone. (Honestly, you probably wouldn't even know about it if I weren't pointing it out. Below and to the left of the toothbrush, in the bottom photo.)

{Bathroom Counter BEFORE Homemade Soft Scrub}

{Bathroom Counter AFTER Homemade Soft Scrub}

• This made me so excited that I decided to try it on the ring around the tub. It worked wonderfully for the grimy build-up and once again, when armed with a toothbrush and my own scrubbing power, this made a decent dent in the orange ring (rust stains from our well water). 
• Here's how it worked on the bathroom sink. The top part of the photo shows the orange rust ring and the bottom part shows how it looked after I scrubbed gently with a toothbrush. No real muscle needed for this task!

{Bathroom Sink BEFORE (top) and AFTER (bottom)}

• And, if that's not enough to convince you, it also knocked out the nasty filth that was lurking in my stainless steel kitchen sink (including the drain trap, which was just plain gross). So, now you know my dirtiest household secret: Until this afternoon, my kitchen sink was a veritable cesspool of germs, admittedly the most neglected of the high-traffic areas of my home. Now, it's soooo shiny and germ-free!

{Kitchen Sink BEFORE (right) and AFTER (left)}

• In case you can't tell, I quit using store-bought Soft Scrub years ago because I was concerned about what was in it. Clearly, I had forgotten about all the benefits of cleaning with this type of thing and certain parts of the house were missing out on more thorough cleaning. That's won't be happening any longer now that I can make this homemade version.
• I hate wearing rubber gloves, so knowing that the ingredients are safe to touch (and inhale) is a nice feature of this scrub (in addition to its effectiveness!).
• Like the first scrub cleaner, it makes a nice size batch that will last a good long while (even with the extensive scrubbing that I put it through just today). The ingredients are common, cheap, and totally safe to use around kids.
• Also, I will sum up by making it very clear that of the two scrub cleansers, this second was my clear favorite. It just took care of build-up that the other one couldn't in the sinks -- both porcelain and stainless -- and on the counter tops, this one was tops.

Greener Spring Cleaning: Part 3 (Homemade Floor Cleaners)

Mud season is officially under way here in Michigan and that means plenty of dirt getting tracked in on my linoleum and wood floors. (And occasionally onto the carpet, as well, even though we have a no shoes in the house policy.) These are my current favorite homemade solutions for cleaning all of my floors.

All-Purpose Cleaning Solution: (For Hard Floor Surfaces)

• 2 cups water
• 3 tablespoons vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dish soap (your safest bets are Dawn or something like Seventh Generation)
• 1 teaspoon Borax

Combine ingredients in a spray bottle (one that did not previously contain chemicals!) and shake gently. Using a funnel is helpful when filling your bottle. Optional: Add a few drops of essential oils if you would like a light scent. Label your bottle with the recipe using a permanent marker. Cover the writing with a piece of clear packing tape to prevent it from being wiped away over time.

To mop the floors, add a small amount to your bucket and then fill it with hot water. This solution cleans up all sorts of gunk and it disinfects, too. Personally, I have had no issues using this on our floors, but of course, you may want to test it on a small area before tackling all of your floors.

Now, what about carpet cleaning? If you have kids and pets, you are sure to get an assortment of spots on them. For small messes, I often grab my spray bottle of All-Purpose cleaner and a microfiber cloth. But let's be honest. Most of the messes on my floors aren't small!

For bigger stains, I have successfully used baking soda and vinegar to remove every kid and dog-related bodily fluid that can possibly end up on the carpet. I'm talking blood, vomit, urine, and poop -- completely eradicated with just a couple of simple to use, inexpensive, and totally safe things. To get this nasty business out of your carpet without resorting to commercial carpet cleaners (which are loaded with toxins and do NOT work as well -- Believe me, I've tried a number of them, even the ones that claim to be specifically for pet stains.) follow these steps. This even works on old stains!!

{Urine Stain: BEFORE}

{Urine Stain: AFTER}

Carpet Stain Removal

• baking soda
• vinegar
• water
• clean cloths (microfiber cloths are good for this)

1. First, sop up as much liquid (and solids, if that applies. Ew, I know...) as possible.
2. Next, cover the soiled area with a generous sprinkling of baking soda. Let this set overnight.
3. Vacuum up the baking soda. You will see that this has already absorbed some if not all of the yucky stuff (and hopefully, taken a lot of the smell away, too).
4. Pour undiluted distilled white vinegar over the soiled area. Sit back and let the bubbling action do its thing for a minute or two.
5. Now, grab your microfiber cloth and start scrubbing the carpet. This should get out the remaining grossness.
6. Pour some fresh water over top scrub/mop it up with a second clean cloth.
7. Allow the wet spot to dry. You will be amazed! (However, if it is not as clean as you would like, repeat the above steps.)

{Unknown Set-in Stain: BEFORE}

{Unknown Set-in Stain: AFTER}

Greener Spring Cleaning: Part 2 (Homemade Room Freshening Spray)

Got stinky stuff in your home? Yep, we all do from time to time. Here, I will share my tried-and-true recipe for making room freshening spray out of totally safe and natural ingredients. Don't worry, it tackles the tough stuff from greasy kitchen odors and smelly trash cans to bathroom funk (including diaper pails!) just as well as store-bought sprays.

The difference is that instead of masking the smell with artificial fragrances and other chemical nastiness, this simply eliminates it! Behold the power of baking soda. The vinegar helps to kill any bacteria that is lurking in your home and possibly causing those less-than-pleasant smells in the first place. Mixing up some room freshening spray is quick and cheap to do with three simple ingredients that you should already have on hand. (And if you don't, trust me, you will be getting these soon, because they are just that important for homemade cleaning solutions.)

Homemade Room Freshening Spray

• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

1. Combine ingredients in a new (not one that previously contained chemicals!) spray bottle.
2. Shake gently and spray as needed. A few mists should get rid of even the toughest household odors.

{3-Ingredient All Natural Room Freshener}

Other Tips:

• I learned about this recipe from Green Grandma's book, Vinegar Fridays, which is a great resource for natural cleaning solutions (and many more uses for vinegar).
• A funnel comes in handy when filling your bottle, but it is not necessary.
• I store my bottle of room spray in the main bathroom, but you can make more than one bottle and store it wherever you will need to use it.
• You can also use this as a fabric refresher. Just spray onto fabrics and allow to dry. Again, baking soda is a natural deodorant and the vinegar kills and yucky odor-causing germs so this is just as effective as Febreze -- just without the scary chemicals that you shouldn't be inhaling.
• Be sure to label your bottle with a permanent marker. Include the recipe so that when you need a new batch, you don't have to look it up.
• If you want to prevent the marker from getting rubbed off over time, just add a piece of clear packaging tape over the top.
• You can find spray bottles at Dollar Tree, IKEA, Target, and craft stores.
• You do not need to buy name brand baking soda. I just found this on sale, so that is what I have. I tend to stock up and buy several boxes whenever I find a good deal since this is a staple at our house. 
• The above is true of the vinegar, too. I tend to buy the one-gallon jugs from Kroger because that is usually my best deal.
• I don't personally add a scent to my room spray, but if you like you could add a few drops (say 3-5) of essential oils such as lavender or orange just to give it a little extra something-something.

For more tips on homemade cleaners, check out my previous posts:

• Homemade Window Cleaners
• Homemade Laundry Detergent
• Greener Cleaner Experiment (my first foray into homemade cleaners -- from 2010)

Greener Spring Cleaning: Part 1 (Homemade Window Cleaners)

Until very recently, I was using my all-purpose cleaner for pretty much all household cleaning -- from floors to toilets, counter tops to windows, and everything in between. Since learning about another homemade cleaner for windows, I decided to do a trial and figure out which one works best for me. (Note: This in entirely my opinion. Your preferences may be completely different.) This will be the first in a series of posts in which I put some green cleaners to the test. It is that time of year, after all.

Trial #1: All-Purpose Cleaner

• 2 cups water
• 3 Tbs vinegar
• 1 Tbs dish soap
• 1 tsp Borax

Combine in a spray bottle (not one that previously contained chemicals!) and shake gently. I find that a funnel is especially helpful. If you would like a light scent, add a few drops of essential oils such as orange. Be sure the label your bottle and include the recipe for the next time. A black Sharpie works well and I recently discovered that adding a strip of clear packing tape keeps the marker from wiping off over time. Genius!

Conclusion: While it does work for windows and mirrors, it is a tad on the sudsy side which means that it takes more elbow grease to wipe clean.

Trial #2: 50/50 Vinegar/Water

I first tried this when I was reviewing Green Grandma's book, Vinegar Fridays. It's exactly as promised: take an empty spray bottle (Again, use a new one that has not contained chemicals! This is just for your own safety. You can find plastic spray bottles at Dollar Tree.) and add a 50/50 mix of water and distilled white vinegar. A funnel is helpful. You can either spray this directly on your windows or first spray it onto a microfiber cloth to prevent streaking. Don't forget to label your bottle.

It does smell strongly of vinegar, which some people don't care for. (I didn't either until I started cleaning more and more with vinegar. Now the smell doesn't bother me, but if I set foot in the cleaning product aisle at the grocery store -- Well, that's a whole other thing, let me tell you. I can feel my eyes and lungs being assaulted by all of the nasty chemical concoctions contained in that aisle and it scares me that I used to clean with that stuff!)

Conclusion: In general, this works very nicely on windows and mirrors. It is very cheap to make and completely safe. You don't have to worry about it coming in contact with your skin. It's not harmful if swallowed, so it is safe to use and store near children. (Always nice to know even though I wouldn't recommend consuming this as it isn't really all that delicious, but as a mama I know these things happen...) The only word of caution is to avoid getting it in your eyes since vinegar does sting a bit. (I learned this during my no 'pooing days.)

{Homemade Window Cleaner}

Trial #3: Homemade Window Cleaner

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup rubbing alcohol
• 1 Tbs vinegar

Combine ingredients in a spray bottle. (As always, use a new bottle, one that did not contain chemicals!) Don't forget to label your bottle and include the recipe. Use with microfiber cloths for cleaning windows and mirrors.

Conclusion: This solution that I recently learned about at a MOPS meeting is definitely safer than store-bought window cleaners and it works very well. In fact, I actually preferred it over the 50/50 water/vinegar solution in terms of streak-free shine and quick drying power. My main concern that makes me hesitant to name it my new favorite is the alcohol. Obviously, this is not a child-safe ingredient and it has to be stored up high away from little hands. It also has an unpleasant smell. Although, to be fair, it dissipates quickly and I tolerate when we dye rice and pasta.

So, What's the Verdict?
In deciding which window cleaning solution is best for you and your family, you just have to weigh whether or not it is worth it to include the alcohol. For now, I will continue to use this homemade window cleaner since I made an entire batch. It does work great and I just have to remember to store it in a safe place. Whether or not I will make this again, I just can't say at this point...

The 50/50 vinegar and water mix also does a good job at cleaning up all those hand prints and dog nose smudges! And I have no qualms about using it anywhere, anytime, around anybody in my family.

Sorry, if you wanted a definitive answer, you won't find it in this post. The only thing I can say for certain is that you should really consider ditching store-bought window cleaning products if you are still using them. They definitely are not worth the cost!

Notes on Where to Buy:

• My microfiber cloths came in a package of 24 and cost about $12 when I bought them several years back at Sam's Club. I hear you can also get them at Dollar Tree.
• The spray bottle in the photo came from Dollar Tree. It's one of the nicer ones I have bought, so that would be the first place I would recommend looking if you need to buy spray bottles. They had them with three different sprayers: pink, blue, and green, so of course, I bought one of each. Another source of good quality and pretty spray bottles is IKEA. If you are less picky about quality, I have also found some in the impulse section of Target and Michaels craft store.
• I buy my vinegar in 1 gallon jugs from Kroger and use it for tons of stuff. If you aren't familiar with where to find it, try the baking/spice aisle. I hear you can also get 2-gallon jugs at Sam's Club, but I have not personally looked there. That might be a bit big for me to work with!
• As you can tell from the label, the rubbing alcohol came from Meijer. You should be able to find this in the first aid section of any grocery store or pharmacy. I had purchased a small bottle just for dying rice and pasta, but if I continue to use it for cleaning, I will probably look for a larger bottle that may be a better value. (And, I know I've said this already, but please keep alcohol away from children!)
• If you are interested in making the all-purpose green cleaner mentioned first and are wondering where to get Borax, try the laundry aisle of Meijer or Walmart. It comes in a white box and the common brand is 20 Mule Team.

Homemade Eye Shadow Experiment

These are my first experiments with homemade eye shadows (and probably not my last because they are not quite right). I started with the basic idea and recipes found on Love Your Body, and then tweaked them to suit my preferences. This meant using less of the stuff that made the most color -- beet root powder and cocoa powder. I'm not even going to note the proportions that I used for a second experimental shade of brown, which called for nutmeg. I will just say that nutmeg felt tingly on my eyelids I quickly removed it with my homemade eye makeup remover before it had a chance to cause any real issues! (After that, I decided it was not worth it to experiment with the other recipe that called for allspice. That one made me nervous.)

{Beet Root, Failed Nutmeg, Cocoa Powder}

Pinkish-Mauve
1/2 teaspoon arrowroot powder
1/4 teaspoon beet root powder
1/8 teaspoon cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon shea butter

Brown
1/2 teaspoon arrowroot powder
1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon shea butter

Directions: 

1. Combine arrowroot powder in a small bowl with your desired pigmented ingredients. (I used cocoa powder, beet root powder, and the not-as-good nutmeg.) A spoon is all you need to mix them well. Tip: You can increase the amount of arrowroot powder for lighter shades and add more of the other ingredients for more vibrant and darker colors.
2. Add some shea butter to the mixture and use the spoon to cream it into the powder until thoroughly combined. (Note: I am slightly skeptical about whether or not this actually helps. The author of Love Your Body says that this will help it stay in place on eyelids. I found it to be kind of clumpy and the application was not as smooth as I had hoped for.)
3. Store your eye shadow in an airtight container, or multiple containers if you are making more than one color. 
4. Application: I am still trying to figure out the best way to do this. A wet brush produced too bright of colors on my eyelids. Using a regular sponge tip eye shadow applicator did not work with the texture of this eye shadow. It just fell off. The best luck I had was with an eye shadow brush and many sweeping motions. However, I still had eye shadow that seemed gritty and I had to take a damp cloth and wipe my face beneath my eyes, not something I normally do with commercial eye shadow application. Once on, though, the colors were nice and natural, so this gives me hope that further experiments will yield more desirable results with homemade eye shadows.

{Modeling my all-natural homemade eye shadow.}

3-Ingredient Homemade Sugar Scrub

This week is making me a teensy bit stressed out and it's only half over. Mia has a new pet, Bluey, that we brought home on Monday. Remember what it was like to have a newborn baby? How you constantly kept checking to make sure the baby was still breathing? Well, I have a newborn now, too, except my "baby" is a betta fish and at least a dozen times in the past couple days I have checked to make sure that he was still kicking -- I mean, swimming!

Then there was yesterday, when Logan announced, "I pooped my pants!" (Darn! He was doing so much better lately, too.) Of course, this was right as we were about to head down to the bus stop. And, of course, the bus was running early for like the second time all year. Yes, that wild woman running down the street holding a little boy upright, neither of them in hats or coats despite the never-ending winter weather... That was me.

Fortunately, I was able to take a nice relaxing bath after the kids were in bed. I soaked in some homemade lavender bath salts and then I pampered myself some more with this skin-softening sugar scrub that I made a few days ago. After that, I nearly felt like a new woman. Having smooth and soft knees, elbows, and heels feels really great, and I can't help but hope that the weather will turn soon and I will get to show them off a bit more!

When my friend Jaci shared this recipe for homemade sugar scrub that she had guest posted on The Blessed Nest, I knew I would have to give it a try! (Thank heavens I did. It's just one of those simple but wonderful indulgences that keep this mama from losing her mind.) This is super quick (think under 5 minutes!) and easy to pull together -- with ingredients in your kitchen!

The only item you may not already have is the essential oils. For this batch, I used orange essential oil purchased from a nearby health food store. You can also buy essential oils online. Here's how to make your own little bit of heaven in a jar.

{Pretty Bow + Label = Easy Gift Idea!}

Ingredients:

• 3 cups white sugar
• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons oil (I used EVOO.)
• 35-40 drops essential oil (I used orange.)

Directions:

1. In a good-size bowl, combine sugar and oil. (I like extra virgin olive oil.) Stir until well-blended.

2. Add essential oil of your choice, and stir some more. I used 40 drops of orange essential oil, and I found this to be nice for several reasons. First, it is one I already had. (Others were tea tree, lemongrass, lavender, and peppermint, and orange just seemed to fit with this homemade beauty item.) Orange essential oil is relatively inexpensive. It smells lovely, and I think most people will enjoy the refreshing citrus scent. As a added bonus, it goes well with the color achieved from this particular brand of olive oil I used. (The color of your sugar scrub may vary according to your ingredients.)

{Freshly Mixed Sugar Scrub.}

3. Store in air-tight containers. This makes enough to fill about 4 half-pint mason jars, perfect for gifts! I just added a ribbon and a simple hand-made label to the top of the jar.

4. To use sugar scrub, rub into skin and then rinse off. If using it on your hands, you may want to do it over the sink. For other parts of the body, apply in the bath or shower. 

Note: I've noticed that the oil starts to seep to the top of the container after a few days, so you may need to mix it up before each use. This is easy and quick to do with your hands -- although a spoon would probably be better to help prevent any contamination.

Homemade Blush Trial #2

A couple weeks ago, I experimented with making my first homemade blush with beet root powder, which had a good outcome. It ran out quicker than expected in part because I gave some away. (Really, I don't mind that because it's always nice when somebody in interested in my kitchen science experiments.) The bigger issue was that I did not it in an air-tight container, as I am always recommending. In fact, I didn't even put a lid on it so there was spillage and moisture invasion.

Okay, those of you who are gasping in shock can kindly close your mouths now. Haven't you ever told your kids -- or anybody else -- to "do as I say and not as I do?" Glass houses, people.

There, I 'fessed up and you know the real reason why I needed to mix up another batch of blush. In the interest of science, I felt it was important to try at least one more version before making up my mind on the recipe. Since I had tried both the beet root powder and the hibiscus powder for my tinted lip balm experiments, I decided it would be simple enough to make the blush again and substitute hibiscus for the beet root. I kept the proportions the same to get a fair idea of how the two stacked up against each other.

{2-Ingredient Homemade Natural Blush}

Ingredients:

• arrowroot powder (mine is organic)
• hibiscus powder (mine is organic)

Directions:

1. Using a spoon, combine arrowroot powder and hibiscus powder in a small bowl or container. I used 1 teaspoon of hibiscus powder and 1/2 teaspoon of arrowroot powder. You can adjust the proportions to suit your personal preferences. I stored my blush in a container with a lid this time (although I am not certain that my old Altoids tin is actually air-tight enough to prevent moisture from seeping in.)
2. Apply with a makeup brush as you would any loose powder makeup. (Dip brush into the powder, tap off the excess, and gently brush onto the apples of the cheeks, spreading upward along the cheekbone to blend.)

The Results:

The color of the hibiscus is similar to the beet root, but I think the beet root recipe went on smoother and blended better than this second attempt. Also, whenever I have applied the hibiscus version, it seems to fly off the makeup brush and I get it into my nose, which is not something I enjoy. Overall, I preferred my first experiment to this one. (I wouldn't call this a failure, though, since it did produce a usable all-natural blush.) I don't know if it is a coincidence that I liked beet root over hibiscus for both homemade blush and homemade tinted lip gloss, but I am not quite ready to write it off entirely. I plan to make some homemade powder eye shadows in the future and it could still prove to be the perfect ingredient.

2- Ingredient Homemade Blush

I don't remember how I came across this recipe for a natural blush, but I was so excited when my arrowroot powder arrived today and I finally got to try it out! I had used beet root powder to make this tinted lip gloss a few days ago and then decided to experiment with the beet root powder as a blush, applied straight up. The color was pretty good, (although it appeared too harsh at first, before blending).

The main problem with pure beet root powder was that it didn't seem to have staying power. Without giving it too much of a test run here, I am feeling pretty optimistic that the arrowroot powder is going to do the trick to make this a longer lasting blush. As a bonus, the color is more subdued. It's quite lovely, really -- the perfect natural flush, made with totally safe, natural ingredients.

{All natural and just 2 ingredients!}

Ingredients:

• beet root powder (organic)
• arrowroot powder (organic)

Directions:

1. Using a spoon, combine arrowroot powder and beet root powder in a small bowl or container. I used 1 teaspoon of beet root powder and 1/2 teaspoon of arrowroot powder, following A Blossoming Life's 2:1 ratio and simply making a smaller batch. I was quite happy with the color, but you can adjust the proportions according to your personal preferences.
2. Apply with a makeup brush as you would any loose powder makeup. (Dip brush into the powder, tap off the excess, and gently brush onto the apples of the cheeks, spreading upward along the cheekbone to blend.)

{Glowing, if I do say so myself. Thank you beet root powder.}

Stay tuned... In all fairness, I feel compelled to test this out with the hibiscus powder. In the meantime, I am enjoying the glowing results of my oh-so-minimal efforts! This is truly one of the simplest DIY projects I have ever tried, and it was so, so worth it.

Homemade Tinted Lip Balm Experiment #3

When I posted about my first attempt at making a tinted lip balm, I had one anonymous person suggest using hibiscus. It's been a long, hard winter and I am wanting something different. (Warm sunny weather would be nice, but since that seems far off yet, I will settle for just about anything that is different!) I decided that it would be fun to give the homemade cosmetics another go. As I mentioned a couple of days ago, the beet root powder arrived first, so I tried that and was pretty pleased with the results. Now that the hibiscus powder has come, I had to see how it compared.

{Side by Side Comparison}

Ingredients:

• Non-petroleum jelly (directions can be found here)
• hibiscus powder (mine is organic)

Directions:

1. Place some non-petroleum jelly into a small container. I started with a tiny amount (1/4 teaspoon) and eventually realized that I needed at least 1 teaspoon for it to mix decently.
2. Add some hibiscus powder and stir with a spoon until the powder is combined. I started with 1/8 teaspoon and kept adding a 1/8 teaspoon more until I found the amount I was happy with -- 3/8 teaspoon. (This makes for a very fair comparison because these are the exact same amounts that I used to make the last trial with beet root powder.)
3. Apply tinted lip balm with a lipstick brush or a Q-tip. (These one seems to stain skin a bit more than the beet root powder version, so I don't suggest applying with a finger.)

Results:

Does it work? Yes, for sure. Will I use it? I'm not sure exactly. The two blends look nearly identical when placed side by side, but there are some differences when they're actually put to the test.

Pros: The hibiscus goes on lips with a more vibrant lip color. (You can see this in the photo where I blotted my lips.) Obviously, this is a major perk since this is what I was after in the first place.

Cons: 

• The hibiscus seems to leave more grittiness which ended up on my lips and then on my teeth. (Hence I did not show you a disembodied lip pic this time. Once I zoomed in on my lips, I saw how much gunk was on my teeth. Not exactly the polished look I was going for.) 
• Also, it seems to have more of a taste than the beet root powder -- It is not all that yummy tasting, I am sorry to say. (And I'm not really a fan of beets, so you might expect the roles to be reversed here.)
• As mentioned above, it also seems to stain skin more than the beet root formula, which could be a problem...

I will probably keep testing them both out alternately and see if I come up with a clear winner, but at the moment I am leaning toward beet root powder over this version with hibiscus powder.

Homemade Tinted Lip Balm Experiment #2

Remember a while back when I tried to make my own tinted lip gloss and failed spectacularly? Well, this time around I am definitely on the right track! I had ordered both beet root powder and hibiscus powder, intending to use only the hibiscus for this, but it's on back order. So, I went ahead and experimented with the beet root powder (which I bought to make my own natural blush, but the other ingredient I need for that is also on back order).

Overall, I am pleased with the outcome. The color is both pretty and natural looking, things that are I consider a must for a lip product at the moment. Also, it has great shine and it conditions my lips nicely. The biggest advantage of this recipe over my previous attempt is that it doesn't taste horribly sour! In fact, it doesn't have a taste at all. Of course, I also love that I don't have to wonder about what is contained in my lip color. My only complaints are that it wears off easily (the color mainly -- the lip balm itself has more staying power), and it's not exactly the most portable of lip balms considering that the base is my homemade non-petroleum jelly.

{Please excuse the weird disembodied lips pic - wanted to show how it looks on!}

Ingredients:

• Homemade non-petroleum jelly (made from beeswax and extra virgin olive oil)
• Beet root powder (mine is organic)

Directions:

1. Place some non-petroleum jelly into a small container. I used one teaspoon and put it in a small Tupperware type container that has a lid.
2. Add some beet root powder and mix with a spoon until all of the powder is dissolved. I started with 1/8 teaspoon and gradually added more until I found a color I was happy with. This was made using 3/8 teaspoon of beet root powder. You can adjust your ratios according to your personal preference.
3. Apply tinted lip balm using a lipstick brush, a Q-tip, or a finger. (Note: I'm not sure if that last option will stain your finger or not.) Enjoy!

Homemade Peppermint Bath Salts

A while back we made bath salts at a MOPS meeting, which I thought were great! After getting the link to where the idea originated, I decided to make more of my own, some of which we are giving as gifts. I'm very happy with how this year's teacher gifts turned out. They look pretty, they smell wonderful, and most importantly, they have been test-driven and given two thumbs up by this mama.

To get started, I chose three different scents: peppermint, orange, and lavender, and I found the essential oils at a nearby health foods store. Why did I choose peppermint oil for the gifts? Well, it is currently vying as my favorite fragrance of the three types of bath salts that I made. Orange is on top at the moment, but peppermint seemed like the obvious choice for Christmas. Plus, it has lots of health benefits like alleviating muscle soreness as well as stress, improving circulation, helping ease congestion, and promoting energy and alertness. These are all the curative properties that I will personally attest to. Peppermint essential oil is also said to help curb appetite, just by inhaling the scent, so that may be an added bonus I have not noticed yet. At any rate, these bath salts are a perfect no-calorie indulgence during the crazy-busy holiday season.

{Easy Christmas gift idea!}

Ingredients: (Makes enough to fill 2 half-pint mason jars)

• 3/4 cup Epsom salts 
• 1/2 cup coarse sea salt 
• 1/4 cup baking soda
• food coloring (I used 10 drops of red.)
• essential oil (The original recipe calls for 8 drops, but I found this to be much too faint once I got into the tub, so I have doubled it for the gift batches.)

Directions:

1. In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients. (If making gifts for teachers, kids can help pour the ingredients.)
2. Add essential oil and food coloring*. (Kids may be able to help with this step. I helped Logan count out the food coloring, but I added the essential oils myself.)
3. Use a spoon or whisk to mix it all together. (Kids may help with this step, too as long as they don't stir to roughly.)
4. Store in an air-tight container. (It will clump together somewhat after time. This happens to store-bought bath salts as well, so I don't see this as a problem.)
5. Enjoy your bath salts or package them up and give as gifts. 

*Notes about food coloring:

• Food coloring is optional, and mainly just for presentation. 
• Once diluted in the bath, you don't need to worry about it staining your skin.
• When I made orange scented bath salts I used a combination of 3 drops red and 5 drops yellow to make orange. 
• For the lavender bath salts, I used 8 drops of neon purple food coloring. 

Notes on Where to Purchase:

• The best deal I have found for Epsom salts is at Sam's Club, but they are very reasonably priced and can be found near the first aid section of any grocery store.
• Coarse sea salt is found in the baking aisle. I have also used natural sea salt, which has smaller grains that don't look as much like the bath salts you might purchase, but it's a bit cheaper and it works the same.
• My essential oils came from a natural foods store, but you can also find them online.
• Lavender essential oil was the most expensive at $8.79 for a 0.5 ounce bottle, followed by peppermint oil at $8.29 for a 0.5 ounce bottle, and the least expensive was the orange essential oil, which was only $3.99 by comparison. (That may sound pricey, but since you will only use a few drops at a time, a bottle of essential oils will last a long time, so I look at this as a good investment.)

How I packaged my gifts:

1. First, I filled each half-pint mason jar with bath salts.
2. To make tags that read "Peppermint Bath Salts," I downloaded this free font. I put it in 24 pt. font, switched the color to red, and printed it so that I got 8 per page (in portrait layout). Then, I used plastic templates to cut them out, and then layered them on top of oval cut-outs of red card stock (which I made with another template.) I adhered the layers and then added a gold eyelet.
3. I used a glue dot to affix the bamboo spoon to the jar.
4. I cut a 21" length of red and white bakers twine, which I wrapped around the jar twice before tying on the tag.
5. Then, I added a red card stock circle to the top of the jar and topped it off with a cute peppermint button, which I bought a few years back from Oriental Trading, attached with another glue dot.