Lay My Hat Forum

[Isy]

Hello everybody,
Wallypott suggested to start a new thread about homemade cleaning products recipes and since Paolo agreed let's do this :

Before we start though, for those who live in France, here ssome addresses for the ingredients just in case you re interested :

Citric acid (1 kg for 5euros) Brand : Laffort oenologie. Where to buy it : in a farm shop. Used by wine makers.

Bicarbonate of soda (25kgs for 14euros) in farm Shop. I believe farmers use it for the ducks. At home, I use it as a cleaning ingredient, desodorize car, fridge....... but also for heart burn in a bit of water. Work wonders.

I ve never used cleaning alcohol. I know it exists but I am clueless at what it does and what it is for. Sorry.

Washing soda/soda crystals : (Stronger than bicarbonate of soda). Good for fighting grease. Brand : St Mark in the cleaning alley of supermarket. Can't remember how much I paid last time but it s quite cheap.

White Vinegar: the cheapest, the best : in the supermarket. Use everywhere at home, good to get rid of limestone in the kettle.

Essential oils for cleaning products : I buy them on Internet, there're lots of suppliers. For cleaning products you don't need the purest essential oils. Mine come from Proxisanté :

http://proxisante.com/49-coin-des-savonnieres

Those are some of the recipes that I make for my home :

Kitchen cleaning antiseptic Spray (for Ikea counters, hobbs...)
*****
Ingredients :
1 liter of water
bicarbonate
vinegar
essential oils

*****
In half a liter of hot water mix :
1 TBL of bicarbonate
1 TBL vinegar (Watch out vinegar and bicarbonate together fizzzzz)
When the whole thing his mixed proprely add an extra half a liter of cold water.Make sure the preparation is cold and then add :
1 TBL of essential oil (a mix of lemon/tea tree/cinammon)
Pour it in a spray bottle, it is ready !

What I like about this stuff : do not need to rince it off, it does not foam,kitchen smells nice after.

******
Changeover scent
******
Ingredients :
essential oils
bicarbonate of soda or kitty litter
a bowl
and a hoover

*****
Some females guests could wear sometime some heavy perfume and when they re gone you don't want the next guest to choke on this "lovely" fragance... so at every changeover, I pour in a tiny bowl a bit of bicarbonate and add some essential oils like lemon, grapefruit...mix well and hoover it. Then I can start cleaning the house using the hoover. The scent of the essential oils will spread all over the place and the heavy perfume is just a souvenir! If there is any of this mix (bicarbonate and eo left in the bowl) I leave in the kitchen high up on a shelf where nobody can see it and any bad odours from cooking will be capture by this cocktail.

*****
Softener :(already put in the other thread)

Mix 30%vinegar, 20%citric acid, 50% water

****

Wood polish (Wallypott that s the one I use, what's your recipe?)

In a spray, pour :
5 TBL of lemon juice or vinegar
5 TBL of olive oil
15 drops of lemon essential oil

This recipe is from the blog of Raffa. She wrote a brillant french book called "Le Grand Menage". You can download it for free from her blog:
http://raffa.grandmenage.info/post/2006/01/12/Livret_____Le_Grand_M%C3%A9nage_____Versions_finales

Any questions, let me know
Isy

[cottageguru]

This is terrific! May I reproduce these recipes on my blog with credit to you, of course?

I also run a rental management agency and would like to give my owners these ideas too. We are working on a new environmentally conscious programme we are hoping our owners will adopt.

Thank you for sharing these great recipes
_________________
Heather

Author - Renting Your Recreational Property for Profit
www.cottageblogger.com
www.twitter.com/cottageguru
www.rentingforprofit.com

[wallypott]

My furniture polish is linseed oil, water, lemon juice and lemon essential oil. You only want to use a little linseed oil as the smell is pretty pungent.

Isy, with the hoover smell, if I have understood it correctly, it works like a hoover bag freshener, is that right?

Cleaning alcohol can be used on lots of surfaces, it doesn't smell particularly great in my opinion, but like vinegar the smell is gone very quickly. If you add a bit of it to your hot water for moping the floor, the floor will dry quicker. No idea why though. It disinfects, cleans glass and can be used to clean bronze - not that I have a lot of bronze lying around! You dilute to about 10% in general. You can also add it to your windscreen fluid as it doesn't freeze.

I find the 5l of vinegar that I get in the supermarket is a bit smelly am I getting the wrong thing? I am concerned that the arriving guests will think it smells like a chip shop.
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[Kathleen]

I have not made this yet but it is getting great reviews on several blogs not only for cleaning power but cost as well they say it costs about 1/6th the cost of name brand liquid detergents

Not sure if all of these ingredients are readily accessible in UK/EU but here it is. Some folks use it dry like a powder and some add warm water to create a liquid detergent

Phosphate-free but not sure about all-natural
__________________________________________

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine- best value


4 Cups - hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*
½ Cup Borax
Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.


- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.
-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.
-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)
-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.
-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.
-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)
-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

http://www.5newsonline.com/news/kfsm-save-significant-by-making-your-own-liquid-laundry-detergent-20110217,0,1683874.story
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USA

[aasta]

disinfectant:
1 liter alcohol, 1/2 liter vinegar
20 drops essential oil of lavender and/or lemon
mix weel, put in spray bottle.,

I use this everywhere I need to disinfedt
_________________
aasta
www.colinaflora.com

[French Cricket]

Window cleaner:
50% white vinegar, 50% water, drop or 2 of citronella oil to repel mossies - mix in spray bottle and spray on. Old newspaper good for polishing.

Floor cleaner (wood or tile)
0.75 litres of savon noir (sorry - no idea what this would be not-in-France!)
0.5 litres of linseed oil
0.5 litres water
20 to 30 drops of essential oil (I like sweet orange)

Mix and shake. Then use 2 normal size capfuls in half a bucket of warm water. No rinsing needed.

Loo cleaner
Add to pan a tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda followed by a small glass of white vinegar - it will fizz; rub inside of pan with loo brush and leave to act for 10 minutes before flushing. You can also add a drop of white vinegar to the pan after flushing - disinfects and prevents scale.

Paintbrush cleaner, softener and rescuer
Soak in mixture of savon noir and water.

[Isy]

Hi everybody,
Thanks for these recipes.
@Wallypott :yes, you're right, that works exactly like a hoover bag freshener.
Thanks for the info on the cleaning alcool.
As for the vinegar, I can't find it in 5L. Where did you get yours? I buy it in 1l bottle (Brand : Carrefour discount). In Promocash, I got a while ago some vinegar in 10liters bottles(brand : Stimula). But at the end there s not much difference pricewise and handling 10liters is tougher on my back so I decide to stick with Carrefour discount stuff.

[wallypott]

I get in intermarche in the bit where they sell all the vinegars. The cheapest ones are the ones for preserving.

I've just been reading the label of my savon noir - great stuff, practically brings you breakfast in bed. Now if I could just persuade my cleaner to use it!
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[Kathleen]

Love all the green cleaning ideas

Is Savon Noir a brand name or is it a type of cleaner
Can anone explain what type of product it is -liquid, powder, bar etc

Also does anyone know a comparable US product to Savon Noir
_________________
USA

[wallypott]

Savon noir is glycerin based so its not exactly hard but more hard than liquid - kind of a squishy texture. I think you can get a liquid version.

Made of linseed oil, water, potassium carbonate, glycerine.
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[Kathleen]

I think I found it on Amazon - can anyone verify if this is it
It is a bit expensive

But if this is it I can purchase it there and LMH gets credit

http://www.amazon.com/Kae-Savon-Noir-Black-Soap/dp/B0019LU66W?SubscriptionId=AKIAIJMDGXSPK6AXZCSA&tag=fbprods-20&linkCode=sp1&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B0019LU66W
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USA

[HelenB]

No, I don't think that will be it.

[wallypott]

I couldn't swear that that is it. It isn't actually black at all.

Never managed to post a picture - so sorry can't show you, but it is yellow - like saddle soap to smell and look at.
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Never complain, never explain.

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[HelenB]

It sounds very similar to green soft soap.

[Kathleen]

Does anyone have a link to a photo of the Savon Noir you are all talking about
I will be in France in May and may buy some then if I can find it
It sounds like a versatile product and might be worth finding

thank you
_________________
USA