Our try at all natural DIY

So, as part of my 30x30 list, I included all natural cleaners to it. This was after talking to my boyfriend and telling him a random statistic I found online stating that women who work from home are 55% more likely to get cancer. Could it be the chemicals in the cleaners?? Who knows. But he found it to be a good idea and even tho I was the one that had thought of it, he kinda took off running with the idea.

Now, we are not the all natural purist types. We love processed food and we drive a 20 yr old polution mobile. My son wears disposable diapers and we leave lights on constantly. So we are taking baby steps and finding what does and doesn't work for us.

Just to get an idea we did some researching online. And let me tell you, some was not enough. We found a few recipes we liked and thought they would be cheap and easy and perfect....NOT. We ran to about 5 different stores one night trying to get all the little things we may need for all the recipes we wrote down. Not only did we waste $$ in gas driving around, but we wasted $$ on products that we didn't even need. So if this is an avenue you're considering I would strongly advise watching and taking notes on youtube, and visiting some other blogs/forums etc. til you find exactly what fits your families needs.

So here was our first try at a shower cleaner. I have yet to try it on my shower but my kitchen sink loved it! I'll list the ingredients then I'll tell you where I found them since that was the trouble for us.

1 cup Baking Soda--->any baking isle in any store. NOTE-the orange box. Not to be confused with baking powder
1/3 cup Borax--->found this relatively cheap at Target. I checked the Dollar Tree and Rite Aid first with no luck
1/2 cup liquid Castile Soap(dr bronners brand)--->This is not cheap. I found it at Target. My recipe I found did not tell me specifically what kind so I bought the mildest one, which was also the most expensive :( In the future I will probably find it online with free shipping and save myself a few bucks and the trouble. Or I will find a recipe to make my own and post that soon and save us all some $$
2 Tablespoons of White Distilled Vinegar--->also found at all grocery stores
1 cup warm water
Essential oils---> I think I used Eucalyptus. I found three scents at Rite Aid so that trip wasn't a complete bust. I think we started with about 5 drops. You can add more for a stronger aroma. Essential oils don't only smell good, but certain ones have antibacterial, antifungal, and many more "anti" properties that make them perfect for cleaning. The best I've found that cover the most of the "anti" categories are Eucalyptus, Lavender, Lemon, Orange, Pine, Tea Tree, and Sandalwood. I only found 3 of these at the store tho.

So we bought some $1 set of funnels and even a few squirt bottles. This mixture is a little too think to squirt so when I tested it out on my white porcelain sink I just shook it up and then poured a little onto a sponge.