What household product can you do without?

[Marianne]

I didn't like the homemade auto dish detergents (really clouded my glassware and it won't come off!), so I buy the store brand and cut it with baking soda. I try to hand wash most of the time, but I'm not a snob about it, ya know? I also didn't like the homemade dish soap, so back to using Dawn.

I can live without the rest of the cleaners, paper stuff, laundry soap, bathroom stuff as I make my own (except bar soap) and use family cloth. Oh, what am I saying? I finally did have to get some sensitive toothpaste as my teeth got really touchy using just baking soda, and I broke down and bought brand name deodorant for the summer. I recently made the tooth cleaner using coconut oil, so I'm trying that now.

LOVE my old swiffer wand. I just use cut up t-shirts on it, give them a couple quick sprays of homemade dusting spray (2 drops any cooking oil to a cup of water, shake before using) and it grabs it all. I have to shake the rags outside (cat and dog hair!) and then throw them in the washer.

My focus is to not use any disposable items and to try to find alternatives for the things I was buying all the time.

 

[dragonlaurel]

I dont buy any cleaners except Magic Erasers and Dawn. Working on perfecting a dish liquid recipe, tho'. I make laundry and dishwasher powders and stain remover. This involves buying all the usual culprits, plus Oxyclean and Wisk.

I don't buy shampoo, conditioner, shave gel, deo, lotion, hair product, perfume, lip balm, sunblock, or bug repellent. I make that stuff. Also toothpaste, mouthwash, fabric softener. I gave up cling wrap altogether. Cloth cuts down on TP and paper towels, but we still use some. Cloth hankies, napkins, microfiber for glass, Shmop heads. Diaphragm and cloth for menstrual needs, cloth diapers until a few months ago. Went Honeybee Gardens for nail polish, it removes with rubbing alcohol, so no more nail polush remover. We heat with wood pellets and also use them for cat litter.

We go thru tons and tons of Ziplocs, but I do wash and reuse them. I need to get some Tattler lids to eliminate the metal sposie lids.

I'd like to replace liquid dish soap- the sink washing kind. What do you use?

 

[sunsaver]

I buy the cheapest bars of soap that i can find, then grate them finely with a cheese grader. I then add water and wait a day. Then i refill my dish soap bottles. I also use this liquid soap for washing cloths.

 

[Britesea]

I tried something similar, Sunsaver, but it just didn't seem to cut the grease unless I used a ton of it, so it just didn't seem cost effective. I tried adding vinegar and/or lemon juice and it still didn't do it.

 

[dragonlaurel]

Thanks for the idea.

 

[sunsaver]

Solar hot water along with Octogon, Zote, or Ivory seem to take care of all my washing needs. For killing bugs around the garden, i prefer Dawn. It IS much stronger.

 

[dragonlaurel]

Hubby gets hives from Ivory soap, but I'll see whats around here. I use castille soap for body stuff but it costs too much to be dish liquid.

 

[ctg492]

Do without or Use very little of:
Commercial Cleaning products
Plastic Bags/Paper towels and napkins

 

[Marianne]

Welcome ctg492
Take a minute to go to the 'where am I, where are you' part of the forum to introduce yourself, k?

 

[THEFAN]

I buy the cheapest bars of soap that i can find, then grate them finely with a cheese grader. I then add water and wait a day. Then i refill my dish soap bottles. I also use this liquid soap for washing cloths.

We have done this method too. Easy and works just fine