• Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Services
  • Resources
  • Contact
  • Shop
    • Shop Now
    • Cart
    • Checkout
    • Return Policy
    • My Account
  • Food
  • Family
  • Finances
  • Fundamentals
You are here: Home / Fundamentals / 4 Products I’ll Never Buy Again (and what I’m using instead) plus a 2-ingredient Stain Remover That Really Works!

by Guest Contributor  27 Comments

4 Products I’ll Never Buy Again (and what I’m using instead) plus a 2-ingredient Stain Remover That Really Works!

Guest post by Julie Chittock of Domestic Contessa

In my kitchen, I have always enjoyed making as much as possible from scratch using real food ingredients. This includes everything from hummus and salad dressing to coffee creamer and granola bars.

But it wasn’t until about 5 years ago that I realized that I should do the same thing in other areas of my home. My closets and cabinets were chock-full of all sorts of dish soaps and detergents, toilet bowl cleaners, shower cleaners, kitchen cleaners, window cleaners, laundry detergent, fabric softener, hand soaps, creams and lotions, facial cleansers, body washes, shampoos, conditioners – I could go on and on and on…. I was amazed to learn that so many of those expensive and unnecessary products could be replaced with mostly basic ingredients that I already had in my pantry!

So with no further ado, here are 4 products that I will never buy again (and what I’m using instead). I’m also including a super quick and effective 2-ingredient recipe for a laundry stain remover that really works! 

1) Carpet and Fabric Freshener

  • Methylchloroisothiazolinone
  • Formaldehyde
  • 2 Bromo-2Nitropropane-1

Oh you know, just the first few ingredients in Febreze’s Carpet Odor Eliminator. Yuck. I can’t believe I actually bought this stuff in the first place! But I know I’ll never buy it again.

Now I use a Eucalyptus Carpet Freshener instead that couldn’t be easier to make. You just combine baking soda and cornstarch – then the freshener gets a disinfecting kick from eucalyptus essential oil (which has antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties).

2) Laundry Detergent

I used to buy Charlie’s Laundry Soap religiously.  I absolutely loved it. But at close to $15 for 80 loads – it was just too expensive. Since my home is full of sensitive skin, soft water, and lots of dirty toddler boys’ clothing – it took a while to come up with the right recipe for my family.

After lots of trial and error – I finally came up with a recipe for an effective and gentle detergent. If you have sensitive skin, you definitely should try my Coconut & Lavender Laundry Detergent or Stacy’s version using Fels Naptha soap.

3) Shaving Cream

After I stopped buying shaving cream, I tried a dozen alternatives over the years from body wash and conditioner to baby oil and body lotion. More recently, I tried a few natural alternatives like coconut oil, olive oil and honey.

My go-to is good, old-fashioned bar soap, but I also was pleased with a more natural alternative I found: equal parts apricot oil and aloe vera gel. Just squeeze a little bit of this mixture into your hands at a time and smooth onto wet skin, and then shave as usual. Rinse off. Then rub in any lingering oil into your skin. That shaving cream alternative didn’t irritate my skin and the oil helped kept my skin moisturized.

4) Eye-makeup remover

Although, most of my days as a stay-at-home mom are spent in workout clothes (never mind that I don’t actually work out…), I always wear a little dark circle concealer, a quick coat of eyeliner and mascara every day. My decision to stop buying eye makeup remover was an easy one because I never actually found a product that didn’t irritate my skin or eyes.

Organic jojoba oil to the rescue! Jojoba oil is known to help prevent the skin from drying out, as well as minimize fine lines and wrinkles. But it also works so so well to remove eye make-up!  There’s no recipe here: just a good old-fashioned cotton ball and a little jojoba oil. No more eye make-up remover for me!

stain remover

2-ingredient Stain Remover

I know Stacy has previously shared with you all about the amazing cleaning powder of Hydrogen Peroxide. And I’m on that bandwagon for sure! It’s the main ingredient in my favorite stain remover.

To make 2-ingredients Stain Remover you will need:

  • 1/4 cup dish soap
  • 1/2 cup 3% hydrogen peroxide solution
  • Clean, empty DARK spray bottle (peroxide must be stored in a dark colored bottle)

Here’s what you do:

Squeeze the dish soap into the spray bottle.  Then fill the bottle the rest of the way with the 3% hydrogen peroxide. Replace the lid and shake to mix. Now you’re all set to destroy some stains – especially those grease stains I mentioned above!

Spray generously on the stained fabric. Let this sit for 15 or so minutes before throwing it in the wash. Or if you’re like me, spray right when the stain happens and then accidentally wait 3 days before doing the next load of laundry. Either way works. For serious stains, you can add a sprinkle of baking soda and use a toothbrush to scrub the stain, but I didn’t find that necessary to remove most of the stains in my laundry. Wash and dry as usual.  Prepared to be amazed – I know I was!  🙂

How about you? Is there anything that you will you’ll never buy again?

julie-BW-331x420

Julie’s a stay-at-home mom to three adorable little boys. She’s been married to her brilliant, witty, and patient husband for almost 8 years. Julie loves cooking delicious, real food. She shares her recipes, household tips and more at Domestic Contessa. You can also connect with Julie on Pinterest and Facebook.

Share this:

  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)

Other Posts You Might Like

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the content above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase an item, I may receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Comment Policy: I love reading your thoughts and input on what you read here. I'm sure we'll disagree sometimes and that's okay! In those cases, do what's right for you and yours. As with any form of communication, only post comments that move the discussion in a positive direction.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Comments

  1. Dawen says

    December 11, 2015 at 10:09 pm

    I realize this is a guest post, but why apricot oil in the shaving cream replacement? Won’t any kind of oil work?

    But to answer the question at the end (because I’m weird enough that I have a long list – I love questions like this, they make me realize how wonderfully strange I am), things I would never buy:

    Window cleaner/mopping fluid: we just use an equal mix of water and vinegar with an extra little dash of Dawn soap, for both uses.

    Shampoo: I tried no-poo three or four years ago. My thought process was along the lines of “people actually use this?? Oh my gosh, that’s so cheap but also SO WEIRD. Does it really work? …I MUST TRY IT.” Then I was blessed with not having that adjustment period everyone else was talking about, and I’ve never looked back.

    Toothpaste: Mom makes a tooth powder of salt and baking soda, and now the regular stuff just leaves me way too thirsty afterwards.

    Deodorant: the natural ones with baking soda irritate me too much and I refuse the others. Currently I use homemade baby wipes every morning (also the only way I’ve gotten myself to regularly wash my face) and I’ve not had any complaints even when I specifically ask. I’ve heard of people using some lemon juice as deodorant too, and I have to admit I’m starting to lean towards that “so weird, I NEED TO TRY IT” reaction again.

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      December 16, 2015 at 1:34 pm

      Hey Dawen! I wish I knew about the oil. You can holler at Julie over at Domestic Contessa and ask her = she’s so nice and the author of this post.

      Reply
      • Dawen says

        December 16, 2015 at 11:47 pm

        Okay, thank you! Will do.

        Reply
  2. Darla says

    April 24, 2015 at 10:25 am

    Is dish soap okay to use in HE washers?

    Reply
    • Julie Chittock says

      April 28, 2015 at 11:08 am

      Hi Darla! I have a high efficiency front loader and I am pleased with the results!

      Reply
  3. Karen says

    April 23, 2015 at 9:37 pm

    I don’t buy glass cleaner anymore either. I also started making liquid foaming handwashing soap. Thanks for some more great natural cleaning recipes!

    Reply
    • Julie Chittock says

      April 28, 2015 at 11:22 am

      We do the same with liquid soap! Thanks for reading!

      Reply
  4. Sheryl Rosinski says

    April 23, 2015 at 4:00 pm

    I will never buy waterproof eye makeup remover again. I have found that coconut oil works wonderfully and removes the most stubborn waterproof eye makeup. It is so gentle on the skin and it doesn’t hurt if you get it in your eye. I just keep a little bowl on my bathroom shelf and use a soft kleenex to wipe off all my eye makeup. It is a wonderful moisturizer for the eye area as well. Just make sure you wash your face and eyes well after because if you don’t get the oil off it will make it hard for your next makeup application to stay on well…

    Reply
    • Julie Chittock says

      April 28, 2015 at 11:09 am

      Oh great – I love coconut oil. When I am out of jojoba oil, I will definitely give it a try! Thanks Sheryl!

      Reply
  5. Joy says

    April 23, 2015 at 12:55 pm

    What is “super washing soda” (from the laundry deterg. recipe), and where do you buy it? Also, what is your source for organic jojoba oil? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      April 28, 2015 at 10:51 am

      Washing Soda should be in the cleaning aisle at the grocery store. It’s made by Arm and Hammer and it’s in a box similar to Borax.

      Reply
    • Julie Chittock says

      April 28, 2015 at 11:10 am

      Yes to what Stacy said about super washing soda – I buy mine at Walmart 🙂

      I get my jojoba oil on Amazon or Mountain Rose Herbs (I love MRH but you just have to pay more $$ for shipping!)

      Reply
  6. Renata says

    April 23, 2015 at 11:17 am

    I’ll never buy kitchen and bathroom cleaners/disinfectants again and little by little I’ll be adding more products to this list. It scared me when I started to find out all the toxins in cleaning products and I can say that I’m new but already really into the DIY thing. I just got a bit overwhelmed in the beginning when I gathered tons of recipes for all products I could start making myself. So, I decided to take it slow with one product at a time and I know I’ll get there. Thanks for all the suggestions Stacy.

    Reply
  7. Robbye says

    April 23, 2015 at 10:20 am

    How does the stain remover work for colors? Does the peroxide cause the colors to fade or bleed? I would love to try it:))

    Reply
    • Julie Chittock says

      April 28, 2015 at 11:21 am

      Last week, I had a purple fountain pen leak on my grayish-brown sheets. I used the spray and it was gone after one washing – and I had absolutely no problems with fading. But I would also recommend do a test spot just to be sure!

      Reply
  8. Sonja Sarr says

    April 23, 2015 at 10:14 am

    Hi Julie. Did you find a dark spray bottle? I see a clear one there in the pic, or do you just store it in a dark place? Just curious why it needs to be in the dark. I’m gonna try the stain remover. Pinning!

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      April 28, 2015 at 10:51 am

      Peroxide loses it’s oomph when exposed to light. 🙂

      Reply
    • Julie Chittock says

      April 28, 2015 at 11:14 am

      My local Harris Teeter sells hydrogen peroxide in a dark bottle actually! But I store mine in my windowless laundry room and I haven’t had any problems.

      Reply
  9. Jennifer says

    April 23, 2015 at 10:02 am

    Hydrogen peroxide won’t discolor fabric if it sits on it???

    Reply
    • Julie Chittock says

      April 28, 2015 at 11:19 am

      It hasn’t discolored anything I have tried! My only warning is to keep away from metal zippers or buttons. I remember from science class that hydrogen peroxide does react with some metals and could potentially cause rust. (I will research that!)

      Reply
  10. Julie Chittock says

    April 23, 2015 at 6:32 am

    Thanks for letting share with your readers Stacy!

    Reply
  11. lyss says

    April 22, 2015 at 4:15 pm

    I love either doing without, or making my own products! I don’t buy any household cleaners. Vinegar and water with some essential oil works great! Well, I admit, I don’t know how to clean grout, but I refuse to buy smelly bleach cleaners…
    I haven’t bought laundry detergent in a long time. I’ve made liquid with soap/borax/washing soda. While it was okay, I am now trying a powdered version with just ivory soap and washing soda. It’s working really well! I’m currently testing to see how long it lasts me/how cost effective it is. I love the simplicity of it, for sure.

    Reply
    • Julie Chittock says

      April 28, 2015 at 11:20 am

      Thanks Lyss! I am with you on the bleach – it just smells too strong for me too!

      Reply
    • Alysa says

      January 19, 2021 at 1:38 pm

      Ivory soap isn’t better, it’s still full of garbage including animal fat.

      Reply
      • Alysa says

        January 19, 2021 at 1:49 pm

        Took me a sec to locate the link from this same site, but I can’t edit the update to add it. I am horrifically allergic to Ivory soap my parents discovered after a doctor recommended it for my allergies. FellsNaptha is the same, read the ingredients.
        After reading the ingredients I completely understand why. You will trash a washer using animal fats: https://www.humoroushomemaking.com/healthy-laundry-routine

        Reply
  12. Lori says

    April 22, 2015 at 3:46 pm

    I will not buy Windex again. Vinegar and water are too easy and way less expensive. If you don’t like the smell, add a favorite essential oil. If it streaks, use newspaper to dry with. Floor cleaner (Pine-Sol, etc.)…water and bleach are too easy or just water with a bit of Pine or Eucalyptus essential oil works too.

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      April 22, 2015 at 3:47 pm

      Barry loves using newspaper! I like using my eCloth with just water.

      Reply


Hello! I’m Stacy!

I believe God created you to be the hero of your home. You CAN manage your home instead of it managing you. That’s why I empower women with simple solutions for their homemaking needs – because if it’s not easy, you won’t do it. {Read More…}

As Featured on the Dave Ramsey Show

Stuff You Really Should Check Out

home management course

© 2023 Humorous Homemaking LLC · All Rights Reserved. · Privacy Policy

 

Loading Comments...