Homemade Enzyme Cleaner

Hello Cherry Blossom's! First, I want to say sorry for the lack of pictures for this post but my camera is not being friendly today. I will be sure to have it fixed and ready to go for next weeks post! I hope you found this weeks series on homemade cleaning products useful in your home. Many good things are yet to come here at The Cherry House Life. Thank you for your support and I look forward to sharing my 1st big DIY reveal with you next week! ~ Michelle

This is by far one of the most effective and frugal-rific recipes EVER! Not only is it completely natural and environmentally friendly, but it tackles any mess big or small from counters, to floors, to ovens and you will never have to scrub a stuck on greasy mess again! Yes, my Cherry Blossom's, this is a true miracle cleaner. There are many different versions out on the internet, I have tried many and for me, this mixture seems to work best and has a pleasant smell. Enjoy!

HOMEMADE ENZYME CLEANER
INGREDIENTS:
Rind of one whole Pineapple ( eat the yummy fruit part, I also save the top of the pineapple and plant it to grow more pineapple plants)
2 Orange peels ( make OJ or eat the orange slices)
1 lemon peel ( save the juice for recipes that call for lemon)

Side note: You can use apple, or any other fruit but the citric ones above seem to do the best job for me. You can use many vegetable peels too but it does effect the smell of the mixture. Basically any scraps can be used but the more citric the peels, the better.

1 package yeast. ( you can skip the yeast but it will  increase the fermentation time to 2 months instead of 2 weeks)

1 cup brown sugar
1 empty milk jug or other plastic container
1 rubber band
1 balloon ( or a plastic sandwich bag will do)

DIRECTIONS:
Simply cut up your fruit rinds small enough to fit in the container. Eat the yummy parts, or make a fresh fruit salad for your family to enjoy. :) After adding the rinds to the container, add the brown sugar and the yeast package (if using yeast). Funnel in water slowly until it is half full. Put the cap on and shake vigorously. Next, remove the cap and fill the container the rest the way with water. The mixture is now complete but will need to ferment. If you have ever made homemade wine, you basically follow the same fermentation process. To complete fermentation and prevent the mixture from building up too much gas and exploding, cover the opening of your plastic container with a balloon. Using a sewing needle simply poke a small hole in the balloon to allow gas to escape. I tie a rubber band around the balloon for extra security. Date your container two weeks from this time.

 After the two week mark, (or 2 months if not using yeast) use a strainer to remove the chunky fruit rinds and your enzyme cleaner is now in its concentrated form, ready to use.
Your homemade enzyme cleaner can be diluted for general cleaning. I typically use an old spray bottle and fill it half with water and half with enzyme cleaner and it cleans remarkably well. For tough messes (picture a messy baked-on greasy meatloaf pan) simply use full strength and let it sit for 10 minutes (or over night it you wish) and wipe off, no tough scrubbing needed.

I use this cleaner and the homemade kitchen and bathroom cleaner (posted earlier this week) in our home. Yes, we do keep bleach on hand and I do have a Swiffer mop for when I feel extremely lazy..lol..but all in all these do these two cleaners are my favorite.  These homemade cleaners keep my home sparkly clean and save us a whole lot of money!

I hope you find these frugal recipes as useful in your home as I do in mine :)

Homemade Bleach

We've all been there, we need bleach and either can't or don't have time to run to the store. So what can you do? Here is a simple homemade recipe for when you are in a pinch and need the strength of bleach to do a household chore or laundry.
Use the mixture within one months time for best results. As the peroxide looses its fizzle, it will become less effective. This will bleach out colored items just like store bought bleach so be careful not to spill in on anything :)






HOMEMADE BLEACH
INGREDIENTS:
1 CUP HYDROGEN PEROXIDE ( Dollar store brand was used)
2 TBS LEMON JUICE
15 CUPS WATER

DIRECTIONS:
Use an empty bleach container and funnel into it 1 cup hydrogen peroxide ( half a bottle). Next add 2 TBS of Lemon Juice. Lastly fill up the container the rest of the way with water (approx 15 cups). There ya go! You made a gallon of bleach for about 55cents ( 50 cents worth of peroxide and 5 cents worth of Lemon Juice)!

Keep clean ya'll!

Homemade Liquid Hand Soap

HOMEMADE LIQUID HAND SOAP 
INGREDIENTS:
1 BAR OF SOAP (Use your favorite, any will do. I used Ivory)
10 CUPS WATER
1 TBS LIQUID GYLCERIN ( found at Walmart in 1st aid section $2.98 for the bottle. The glycerin keeps the soap from separating)

You can double the recipe if you like, I like to make two batches at once so it is sure to last all year and then some :)

DIRECTIONS: Grate 1 bar soap of choice into large bowl (I used a cheese grater from the dollar store). Heat 10 cups water, 1 bar of grated soap and 1 tablespoon liquid glycerin on medium heat until the soap is dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool.When cool, use a funnel to pour mixture into your storage containers. Note:The mixture will thicken as it cools.
I re-purposed 2 liter soda bottles. This recipe will yield 2 2-liter bottles. Fill each bottle with half of the mixture and top off with water and shake. You now have 4 liters of homemade liquid soap for the cost of a bar of soap and about 40cents worth of liquid glycerin!
You can add a few drops of your favorite essential oil  or fresh cut herbs into the mixture for a refreshing scent! :) Reuse old soap pumps and refill as needed.

That's a lot of soap and a lot of savings!

Homemade kitchen and bathroom solution

You don't need separate cleaning products to clean your kitchen and bathroom.   You can clean it all using this recipe and you will love the results. Save yourself a lot of money by making this homemade kitchen and bathroom bathroom cleaner :)



I use this and one other homemade cleaning solution to clean our whole home, I will post the 2nd recipe later this week. Stay tuned :)


INGREDIENTS:
10 ounces white vinegar ( don't worry, the smell goes away when dry)
10 ounces liquid , blue Dawn dish detergent
1 empty spray bottle (I re-purpose an empty one)

DIRECTIONS:
Heat vinegar in microwave or on stove top until warm, but not boiling. Pour hot vinegar into an empty spray bottle.
Add the Dawn soap. Put the lid on shake until mixed well. TA-DA! You now have a powerful cleaning mixture that will take care of soap scum and shower buildup, and any kitchen counter grime! Just spray it on, scrub,and rinse clean. Haven't cleaned your shower lately?? No worries, just spray the mixture on and leave it overnight to break down really tough problem areas, then just scrub and rinse clean in the morning.

This recipe fills one empty commercial cleaning spray bottle ( most are 22oz. )

STAY CLEAN TIP: If you have glass shower doors, keep them soap scum free by simply spraying them with WD-40 (apply to an old rag and lightly cover) after cleaning with your homemade cleaner. WD-40 will coat the glass and keep bath products from sticking to the surface.

Homemade Laundry Soap

Each recipe will make approximately one year worth of laundry soap You may cut the recipes in half (or fourths) if you like. I have made each of these recipes and each seem to clean equally as well, but I wanted to give you options, Decide whether you prefer liquid, powder or gel detergent and try it, you will be happy you did (and so will your pocket book)!

A small tip: If you currently use a commercial laundry soap and love the smell, buy one small bottle and add it into your homemade batch, you will still save money but keep the scent our family likes. :)

If you have questions, just ask. I have tried several recipes over the years and feel these work the best for our family.

ENJOY THE SAVINGS AND KEEP CLEAN! ;)

1) HOMEMADE POWDERED LAUNDRY SOAP (APPROX $10 PER BATCH)
INGREDIENTS:
1 Box 20 Mule Team Borax
1 Box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
1 Bar Fels Naphtha Soap, grated (or other soap such as Zote or Ivory )
1 Large plastic container with lid (or a few gallon sized Ziploc bags will do)
DIRECTIONS:
Grate one bar soap as fine as you can with a cheese grater or food processor. The soap should be the texture of grated parmesan cheese. Combine the GRATED soap, the ENTIRE box of Borax and the ENTIRE box of Washing Soda into a large container and mix well. Keep covered and away from damp so it does not clump up.
Use 2 tablespoons per load, it should last you all year at a load per day.




2) HOMEMADE LIQUID LAUNDRY SOAP (APPROX $6.00 PER BATCH)
INGREDIENTS:
4 Cups hot water
1 Zote or Feltz Naphtha soap bar (OR 2 regular Ivory bars.)
1 Cup Washing Soda (NOT baking soda)
½ Cup Borax
5 gallon bucket
Empty Laundry Soap Dispenser's (or any plastic container you like, I use empty 2 liter soda bottles)
DIRECTIONS:
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. The next day,stir the mixture and fill each container half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. The mixture will separate some as it sits, shake well before each use.
This recipe makes 10 gallons.
-Top Load Machine- 1/2 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)
-Front Load Machines- 1/4 Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)



3) HOMEMADE GEL LAUNDRY SOAP (APPROX. $7 PER BATCH)
INGREDIENTS:
4 Cups hot water
1 Zote or Feltz Naphtha soap bar (OR 2 regular Ivory bars.)
1 Cup Washing Soda (NOT baking soda)
½ Cup Borax
4 TB Liquid Glycerin
TWO 5 gallon buckets
DIRECTIONS:
Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.Fill BOTH 5 gallon buckets half full of hot tap water. Add 2 TBS Liquid Glycerin to each bucket. Add HALF of the melted soap, washing soda and Borax to each bucket. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill buckets to top with more hot water and stir well. The mixture will gel overnight.
The advantage of gel detergent is it will not separate so there is no need for shaking the container before use. Since it is thinker and harder to pour, I suggest keeping the mixture in the 5 gallon containers and simply scooping it out of the buckets instead of transferring it into smaller containers.
This recipe makes 10 gallons.
-Top Load Machine- 1/2 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)
-Front Load Machines- 1/4 Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)