Homemade Cleaning

So despite my husband thinking I've lost leave of my senses (as usual!) I am ploughing ahead with moving away from chemicals for cleaning both the home and myself.  I am doing this gradually so it doesn't feel overwhelming and I hate waste so as something is used up and I am seeing if I can make a natural alternative.

This is what I've done so far:

Face

First thing I tried was cleansing with the oil cleansing method having read this blog post here.  Now a lot of people I have mentioned this too have gone YUK how on earth is that going to work?!?!  Well it does!!! My face feels amazing!  I've hardly had any break outs of spots and those that I have had have gone very quickly.  I also feel like my skin is so much 'plumper'.  I started using just sunflower oil from my kitchen cupboard which worked well but have now moved on to a blend of castor oil and sunflower oil - about 20% castor oil and 80% sunflower oil and that seems to be working well.  I want to add some essential oils to it - probably lavender to help with scarring from previous spots (I'm a picker!!!) but - and how lazy am I - the lavender is downstairs and the oils are up!!  I think I actually need to get another bottle of lavender oil as it has so many uses and I keep meaning to put a couple of drops in the little mans room in the hope it might help him sleep a bit better.

I have bought some jojoba oil for moisturising but am currently using up my cheap moisturiser from Aldi which is pretty amazing for under £2 (why do people spend so much on face creams?!?). I am making a list of other natural things to purchase and I need a natural sunscreen for my face to help prevent the wrinkles so will source that and buy when pennies allow.

Cleaning

Multisurface spray.

As mentioned in a previous post I had a job lot of vinegar and other products delivered from Summer Naturals after reading this post here by Miss Thrifty.  I used her multisurface spray recipe but found that hte borax is a tad too strong for my liking and a bit too abrasive.  So I have moved on to a similar recipe but with no borax - about 20% vinegar and 80% water with 15 drops of lemon essential oil.  And boy does it work!!!!  No scrubbing involved in cleaning my surfaces - can highly recommend.

Fabric Conditioner

Miss Thirfty recommends vinegar as fabric conditioner and I have been using it and it seems to work.  However it does mean I am going through vinegar very quickly!  So I looked around for another recipe and found this one.  And OMG it's gorgeous!  My linen (hows that for a grown up word!!) felt so soft when it came out of the machine and you only need two teaspoons so will last me forever.  I only made up half the quantities to make sure I liked it but will definitely be sticking with this.

I've got a number of pins on pinterest to try for homemade washing powder but I think I am going to invest in an Eco Egg when I next run out as I've heard lots of very good things about them.  Watch this space!

Shower Head

I soaked our shower head in vinegar for a few hours and that came out like new - it's nice to have a full stream of water to wash in!

Handwash.

I made a handwash using this recipe here and to be honest I didn't like it.  It was too watery and slipped off my hands before I had chance to wash them and it left them feeling quite urgh - a bit like bar soap does, a feeling I hate.  Hubby totally refused to use it and bought a 'proper' one at his first opportunity!! We now have two in the bathroom as I don't want to admit defeat but am on the look out for another recipe.


Well that is where I am at at the moment, it's a start and nice to think the amount of chemicals we are breathing in every day has reduced slightly and I'm also saving money which is a big plus all without compromising on cleanliness.