Making your own cleaning products?

[whitecrow]

Originally Posted by Nik

Anyone have experience with making your own washing, cleaning, etc products? E.g., toothpaste, soap, shampoo, something for clothes, etc...

Please, do share!

I am a soapmaker. I make all-natural herbal soaps using simple ingredients. I also make my own laundry detergent, toothpaste, aftershave, and household cleaners.

I make furniture polishes and finishes and lip balms. Tattoo balm, too.

You can make your own cleaners that do a better job than the commercial ones, without dumping chemicals in your body or down the drain. And you will save a huge amount of money. You will be using your resources to help yourself and your friends instead of some big corp.

I'd be glad to post an online class in soapmaking. I've written about it and taught it for years. It's easy and fun.

I've made my own toothpaste for 20+ years. I have not seen a dentist in 12 years - no need. Even a filling that fell out 4 or 5 years ago has given me no trouble.

Basically I use baking soda and tea tree oil. You can mix these two ingredients so that you have a paste and use this all by itself. However this is the way I make it now:

First I buy an ounce of powdered myrrh resin and dissolve it in 100-proof Smirnoff vodka. This takes a few days, shaking the bottle each day. When as much resin has dissolved in the alcohol as it will hold, I pour the vodka through a coffee filter to remove any particles, and into a bowl of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). This I let sit for a couple days until the alcohol is pretty much evaporated, so that I have a bowl of bicarb that is saturated with myrrh. Then I add my tea tree oil to make up the paste, and I also add a couple tablespoons of vegetable glycerin. This sweetens up the taste and gives it a nicer texture.

You can make a pound of this for the price of a couple tubes of Crest. Store it in a covered bowl until you're ready to use it. I keep a little in a small jar next to my toothbrush.

Laundry detergent is easy, and costs pennies:

You can make your own soap - plain coconut oil and 0% lye discount would work - or pick up a bar of Fels Naptha for about $1.69 in the laundry aisle. Grate the soap fine. Add 1-1/2 cups each of powdered borax and washing soda (sodium carbonate). It only takes a couple tablespoons of this mix to do a load. If you can't find sodium carbonate you can use sodium bicarb. Washing soda can sometimes be found in the laundry aisle, but more and more the stores don't stock it. Arm & Hammer is the usual brand, just like baking soda. It's also used to adjust the pH of pools, so you can find it in pool supply store. MalWart sells it under the name pH Plus.

Leave out the grated bar soap, and you have dishwasher powder. If your hard water creates a scum, use white vinegar in the rinse water.

More to come if the interest is there.

[Nik]

Several people mentioned the use of Borax... any alternatives?

AS far as surface cleaners, I do not buy any at all any more. For general cleaning, I use a spray bottle of water with two capfuls of bleach in it.

For other cleaning, I use a spray bottle of water with a fourth cup of regular vinegar. This cleans and deodorizes better than the expensive fabric deopdorants. The vinegar smell evaporates, and gets rid of any oders.

Tooth paste, baking soda with a little salt mixed with it.

Mouthwash, diluted Hydrogen Peroxide with water.

[whitecrow]

Originally Posted by chelmostef

Soap plants...

And for those in the Southwest, the traditional Native shampoo is yucca root. Yucca root is also a delicious starchy vegetable, far more nutritious than potatoes.

Originally Posted by Peace of Mine

I have looked EVERYWHERE for the washing soda. Anybody got a good lead on where to buy it?

call 1-800-524-1328 to find a store locally that carries it

or twist their arm to stock it for you

or order it mail order from these folks

http://www.soapsgonebuy.com/ProductD...1&Show=ExtInfo

Originally Posted by Alexandra

This has been done for centuries and if you do not keep your head and scalp clean you will have lots of company. Actually a regular eco-system happening there. Then you will be taking the anti-lice challenge.

Sorry, until you have tried it you don't have a clue what
you are talking about. Send me a pm and I'll be happy
to give you the run down on lice/scabies transmission and treatment privately. That is what I do in my day job.

Some folks who took the challenge weren't happy with it because their hair was too long/too oily. My hair is kept military short - I cut my own hair btw - and a vigorous
brushing massage in the shower is sufficient. The first month is miserable while your body adjusts. I've been a year and a half now and my wife approves

My wife gave it a go and quit after two weeks because of the itching (remember the first month was miserable). She did say her hair looked fabulous. Since then she has not tried again, but has backed
off from every other day to once a week. She says the more you do it the more you need to do it.
That is the whole point!

This was an excellent example of the programming you've been subjected to which keeps you in the matrix
as a good little consumer. It made me really begin to wonder what else I'd been LIED TO about

Here is the forum at ABC.au where the challenge was held and folks talked about their results
http://www2b.abc.net.au/tmb/Client/M...m=349&dm=2&p=1

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[Nik]

Probably also a matter of mentality. If you do it as a religious (??) belief, conviction, or some sort of social statement - who knows what the results may be... If you do it with a clear mind and the intention to simply purify your body, it may work really well.

I am trying it right now - 3rd week after being reminded with the above message.

[Bonnie]

Originally Posted by Nik

Great replies so far! Thanks all!

I have used lemons to wash body and hair in the past - and enjoyed it! My flat mate thought I was going nuts (more than usual ).

How about something to brush your teeth with?

You can use baking soda to brush your teeth, as well. The taste is not great, but I have read it does a good job of cleaning teeth.

[ucan]

I've heard that a simple mix of Soap and Lemon Juice is a suitable shampoo replacement as soap on it's own does not leave hair in a good condition, especially long hair. Could anyone elaborate on this?

Personally I haven't used chemical soaps or shampoo's for a number of years - I've heard that shower gel type products alter the PH of skin and can cause a premature hatching of the worms that live naturally in our skin, sounds wild I know - but I've noticed many benefits in myself including my natural smell and general health by not using chemical washing products - Could anyone elaborate on this also?

@whitecrow - I'm very interested in knowing more about these skills...

I highly recommend "Lush" & "Neals Yard" products.

[whitecrow]

Originally Posted by Peace of Mine

I have looked EVERYWHERE for the washing soda. Anybody got a good lead on where to buy it?

If you can't find it in the laundry aisle, try a pool supply store. It is also used to adjust the pH of water. MalWart sells it under the name pH Plus.

[MargueriteBee]

I made the laundry soap from Borax, Washing Soda and Ivory soap. It worked out well and the towels came out sparkling clean. I do recommend you mix and bottle up outside as it does have a smell.