Money-saving & Green!

I am a fan of using as few chemicals as possible. I still use them for certain things, but very few. I've read so many articles over the past few years that support the use of vinegar & baking soda that now I use them for most of my anti-bacterial & cleaning needs (except for my toilets, I take no chances with those bad boys)! I use 50/50 vinegar & water for my multi-purpose cleaning spray, pure vinegar to clean windows & floors & so on. In the spirit of that, Here is an article I came across that has some great little tricks to save money while staying 'green.'

Also, here are 2 recipes for the all-natural laundry detergent I use. There are lots of recipes out there, but this one came from a friend so I felt it was "tried & true" so I went with it & have been happy with it. Previously I was using the cheapest liquid stuff from Wal-mart that works out to be about $.05/load.

**Note: You can add a few drops of your favorite essential oil in the powder or liquid to get your favorite yummy smell

Powder (a bit more expensive than the liquid, haven't worked out how much exactly):

1/2 Fels-Naptha soap bar (or other bar soap including homemade)

1 Cup Arm & Hammer All-natural Washing Soda

1 cup All-natural Borax

--Grate all soap (with a cheese grater or food processor) into pieces (the smaller the better because then it's more evenly distributed). Then mix all ingredients into the air-tight container you'll be storing it in. For light loads, use 1 TBS. For heavy use 2 TBS (I use 2 for all my loads & will add 1/4 c baking soda if it's a particularly nasty load). Yields: 3 cups detergent (approx 40 loads).

Liquid ($.01/load!!):

1/3 bar Fels Naptha or other type of soap

1/3 cup Arm & Hammer washing soda

1/2 cup borax

--2 Gallon bucket

--Grate soap or put in food processor. Put in a sauce pan. Add 6 cups water & heat it until the soap melts. Add the washing soda & borax & stir until dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket. Now add your soap mixture & stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water & stir. Let the soap sit for about 24 hrs & it will gel. You use 1/2 cup/load (approx. 64 loads).

Here is a website from that same friend that looks like it has some great natural stuff under the "Household Tips" category (& other good stuff too!) www.tipnut.com

K, gals, what are your favorite cleaning tips n' tricks?