The Blythemoon Homestead

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent:

ONLY  TWO DROPS of dish washing soap like dawn on the door, or soap compartment.

A few tablespoons of baking soda on the door, or into the bottom of the dishwasher, or into the soap compartment.

That’s it!

Homemade Deodorant:

Baking Soda under the arm.  I am amazed at how well this works all day long!

Homemade Laundry Detergent
You will need:
– Five gallon bucket
– Pot
– 1/2 cup borax
– 1/2 cup washing soda
– 1 bar washing soap (available in the laundry soap aisle), shredded on a cheese grater
– Essential oils of your liking (I used tea tree oil and lavender)
– Big, long spoon for stirring

Step One:  In a pot on the stove, heat up 2 cups of water.  Add your shredded washing soap bar.  Stir until dissolved in the warm water.

Step Two:  Add your borax and washing soda to the mix.  Stir, stir, stir to combine.

Step Three:  Pour the mixture into five gallon bucket.  Add water until the bucket is three-fourths full. Stir.  At this point, feel free to add any essential oils that you would like.  I put in about 10 drops of tea tree oil (antibacteria, antifungal, and smells wonderful!) and about 10 drops of lavender oil.

Step Four:  Allow the mixture to sit for 24 hours.  It will gel into a gooey/blobby mixture.  You may stir occasionally while it sets if you feel like it.

That’s all!

Use about 1/2 cup per load of laundry, or more for heavily soiled loads.  Note:  This does not make the suds other detergents make.

General Cleaner:

1/4 cup of Borax

1/4 cup of vinegar

1-2 drops of dish detergent

Oxygen ‘Bleach’

Fill a spray bottle with one cup of hot water. Distilled water is a better choice for your oxygen bleach recipe because it is free of the minerals found in tap and bottled waters.

• 2

  Add a half cup of baking soda to the spray bottle of water. You can use a small plastic funnel to guide the baking soda into the mouth of the bottle to reduce mess.

• 3

  Pour a half cup of 3% hydrogen peroxide into the spray bottle. You can use the plastic funnel to add the hydrogen peroxide, if necessary.

• 4

  Spray the solution on clothes to release stains before laundering. Spray the solution on fruits and vegetables to keep them fresher longer. You can also spray the homemade oxygen bleach on grout, lawn furniture and anything else that needs to be whitened, brightened or sanitized.

• 5

  Mix a quart of hot water in a bucket. Add two cups of baking soda and two cups of 3% hydrogen peroxide to the hot water in the bucket. Use the mixture to clean your deck with a scrub brush, or pour it into a pump sprayer to spray your deck rails. You can also use the solution to soak your clothes.