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!
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’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.
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.
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.
Okay, thank you! Will do.
Is dish soap okay to use in HE washers?
Hi Darla! I have a high efficiency front loader and I am pleased with the results!
I don’t buy glass cleaner anymore either. I also started making liquid foaming handwashing soap. Thanks for some more great natural cleaning recipes!
We do the same with liquid soap! Thanks for reading!
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…
Oh great – I love coconut oil. When I am out of jojoba oil, I will definitely give it a try! Thanks Sheryl!
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!
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.
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!)
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.
How does the stain remover work for colors? Does the peroxide cause the colors to fade or bleed? I would love to try it:))
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!
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!
Peroxide loses it’s oomph when exposed to light. 🙂
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.
Hydrogen peroxide won’t discolor fabric if it sits on it???
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!)
Thanks for letting share with your readers Stacy!
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.
Thanks Lyss! I am with you on the bleach – it just smells too strong for me too!
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.
Barry loves using newspaper! I like using my eCloth with just water.