My home made Cleaning Recipes:

I have been making these recipes since before my daughter was born (8+ years!) They are cheaper because I buy the ingredients in bulk from Summer Naturals, free from unnatural chemicals and easy to make. They also smell great as I  scent them with essential oils.

Washing Powder:

• 3 cups vegetable soap flakes, (some people grate bars of soap but buying the soap flakes is much cheaper and easier) Update- Summer Naturals dont currently have soap flakes, so I have been buying from Yorkshire Soap Flakes.

• 2 cups of borax

• 2 cups of soda crystals

• 2 cups of bicarbonate of soda

• 30 ish drops of lemon essential oil which has antibacterial properties and smells lovely (just drop it on the surface of the powder then mix thoroughly) I’ve also used tea tree, peppermint and grapefruit oil in the past too.

Mix together with a spoon then funnel into your container.

This makes 1000ml . We add a heaped table spoon, to each wash, and will last ages, approx 30 washes. Bulk quantities of powders etc are available from Summer naturals. 

This is a great activity to do with kids. Frankie made this whole batch herself with me simply directing the quantities. Make sure they don't handle the Borax through, it can be quite harsh on skin. Frankie uses a table spoon to scoop the powders into the cup measures. 

Floor cleaner concentrate:

Put the following In a 1 litre bottle:

• 1/2 cup borax

• 2 cups vinegar

• 1/2 cup of Summer Naturals own brand liquid Castille soap.

• 10-20 drops of Essential oil of choice

Then I top it up with hot water to help it dissolve. A kebab skewer can be useful to mix it if the powder has settled to the bottom. I give it a good shake then glug approx half a cup in the bottom of a bucket then fill with very hot water.

Surface spray:

Mix the following in a spray bottle. 

• 1 cup water

• 1/2 cup Vodka (the cheapest stuff available)

• 1/2 cup White vinegar

• 1/3 cup liquid castille soap

• 15 ish drops Teatree or Lemon oil (has antiseptic qualities)

The photography is by Kristy Noble.

Happy cleaning (?!?!?!)