DIY Hand Sanitizer

So in the recent COVID-19 madness and indeed in any pandemic madness the hand sanitizer is always the first to disappear off the shelf but with some careful planning or even a quick Amazon shop when you first get wind of the crazy you can easily make your own at home. And it's cheaper and you know what goes into it so really it's great for even outside times of mass hysteria. As long as you use an alcohol base of over 60% alcohol then you can use isopropyl alcohol, Everclear or even rum if need be, just make sure the alcohol content is over 60%, the higher the better! I blended a couple of recipes together for this one but the main one that worked was Little House Living.  This recipe is for a thicker spray but just add a bit more aloe to use in a pump. This makes two small purse pumps but just double, or quadruple the recipe for larger containers.

DIY Hand Sanitizer

1/4 cup Alcohol
6 Tbls Aloe Vera gel (try for 100% and free of colouring/scent)
20 drops of essential oil*
1/4 tsp Vitamin E (optional)


*I used doTERRA On Guard (which has Wild Orange Peel, Clove Bud, Cinnamon Leaf, Cinnamon Bark, Eucalyptus Leaf, and Rosemary Leaf/Flower) but you can use any antibacterial oils such as tea tree, cinnamon, thyme or oregano.

Homemade Dishwasher Tablets

This is a recipe from doTERRA which works beautifully. I initially misread the ingredients and used On Guard EO instead of the cleaner concentrate...it smelt amazing but was definitely too much for washing dishes LOL
This worked better than the Seventh Generation ones I was using, no hard water marks or grainy soap residue.

Homemade Dishwasher Tablets

Ingredients
1 cup baking soda
¼ cup citric acid
1 tablespoon doTERRA On Guard Cleaner Concentrate
5 drops Grapefruit oil (I used lemon)

Method

Put baking soda, citric acid, doTERRA On Guard Cleaner Concentrate, and Grapefruit oil in a mixing bowl. Mix together until the mixture is an even consistency.
Place in silicon molds and let sit for four hours. Remove tabs.
Store in an airtight container.
Use in dishwasher in place of store-bought dishwasher tablets.

DIY Laundry Spot Remover

I don't like the idea of using peroxide on anything so this was one of the few spot remover recipes I found that didn't contain peroxide, from The Prairie Homestead.

DIY Laundry Spot Remover

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup liquid castile soap (buy castile soap on Amazon (affiliate link))
1/4 cup liquid vegetable glycerin (buy vegetable glycerin on Amazon (affiliate link))
5-10 drops of lemon essential oil (I use doTERRA oils exclusively in my home)
Glass spray bottle OR plastic squeeze-type bottle


Method

Mix all ingredients together.
If using the essential oil, store the mixture in a glass container since lemon oil can disintegrate plastics. If you omit the essential oil, it can then be stored in a repurposed plastic bottle with a lid that allows you to squirt it out.
To use, shake well and apply liberally to spots and stains. Lightly rub the mixture into the fabric with your fingertips.

As with most spot removers, this one works best if you treat the spot immediately and allow it to soak before tossing it into the washing machine. Sometimes I’ll even allow the item to soak overnight before washing it.

DIY Kitchen Spray

This recipe is from Mother Earth Living and is great. I make a big batch and then keep some in a refill container. It's great as an all purpose cleaner.Thyme, lemon, orange or eucalyptus are great essential oil choices. No sticky residue!

DIY Kitchen Spray

Ingredients

2 Litres distilled water
1/4 cup liquid castille soap
5 drops of essential oils (optional)


Method

Boil the distilled water in a saucepan.
Whisk all ingredients together gently and then transfer to a spray bottle.

DIY Liquid Dish Soap

I got this recipe from The Hippy Homemaker blog.

Homemade Dish Soap

Ingredients

1/2 cup Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup warm distilled water
1 tsp. citric acid (if you don’t have this, substitute lemon juice)
2 tsp. kosher salt
20 drops essential oil


Method

In a medium sized bowl combine warm water and salt until salt is completely dissolved.
In a separate bowl, combine Sal Suds, vinegar, and citric acid.
Stir  Sal Suds/vinegar mixture into salt water mixture and continue stirring until thickened. If adding essential oils, you can add them now.
Store in a recycled dish soap container.
NOTE:I have found that when using any other kind of salt besides kosher salt, this recipe will turn back to liquid if you add essential oils. You can make this recipe with sea salt or table salt but adding essential oils to that concoction might make it watery again. Thanks so much to one of my readers, Sherrie, for helping me experiment further with this!

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

I'm slowly replacing my expensive vegan household products with homemade vegan products to save money and the environment. Plus I know exactly what's going in there! I got this recipe from DIY Natural.

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

Ingredients

2 cup borax (use a brand that doesn't test on animals such as Mountain Rose Herbs)
2 cup washing soda/baking soda (use a brand that doesn't test on animals such as Mountain Rose Herbs, Brambleberry or Bob's Red Mill)
1 cup citric acid
1 cup kosher salt (for scrubbing action)


Method

Each batch yields 24 ounces of detergent.
Store in an airtight container.
Use 1 Tbsp per load (you can use a heaping tablespoon if you feel the need, but we do not).

DIY Laundry Detergent

So environmentally friendly vegan laundry powder does not come cheap! Well it does if you make it yourself! This recipe comes from the guru of DIY, DIY Natural. I quadrupled this recipe to make a larger amount. Borax I just found at the supermarket but the washing soda I got online from Walmart.

DIY Laundry Detergent

Ingredients

1 bar (or 4.5 ounces) of vegan bar soap (I used my own homemade soap but any vegan plain soap will do)
1 cup of borax (use a brand that does not test on animals such as Mountain Rose Herbs, Brambleberry)
1 cup of washing soda/baking soda (use a brand that does not test on animals such as Bob's Red Mill, Brambleberry or Mountain Rose Herbs)


Method

Grate the soap and mix into borax and washing soda well.
If you like a cold wash, add the mix in batches to a food processor and pulse until the mix is finely ground.
Store in an air tight container with a small scoop.
Use around 1 Tbls per wash, or 2-3 Tbls for a large or heavily soiled wash.