Knitted Dishcloth or Facewasher

Hand-made Knitted Dishcloth or Facewasher

Once you start looking, you'll find heaps of amazing dishcloth patterns on the internet!! I have only just discovered the awesomeness of home-made dish clothes, so have only tried this pattern. But, I am hooked, and will be trying and sharing more patterns soon!! But honestly, once you try these, you won't want anything else!!  And give one away as a gift, and they'll be begging for more!!

Materials: 8 ply cotton; Size 4 mm

Instructions:
Cast on 4 stitches
Row 1: Knit 4
Row 2: Knit 2, yarn over, knit across the row.
Repeat Row 2 until you have 49 stitches on the needle.
Row 3: Knit 1, Knit 2 together, yarn over, knit 2 together, knit to the end of the row.
Repeat Row 3 until you have 4 stitches on the needle.

You can now either bind off or do a round of single crochet and make a little loop of chain stitches in one corner so you can hang the cloth to dry when you are finished using it.

Soft-scrub Cleaning Paste

I am a huge fan of GUMPTION!!  It's a soft-scrub cleaner, suitable in the bathroom, kitchen and laundry.  It's amazing stuff!!  This little tub of magic even removed permanent black marker from my newly painted white front doors, after my two year old decided they needed decorating!!  Great stuff!!  Well, I wanted to clean my kitchen sink, the other day, and I was out of GUMPTION!!  So, a little googling, and I found such a simple little recipe.....and honestly doubted it would work.  I stood corrected....this stuff worked even better than GUMPTION!!  I ended up rescuing my empty GUMPTION tub, and filled it with my new home-made soft-scrub...and it hardly cost me anything, especially as I had just made up a batch of home-made liquid soap.  With a tightly fitting lid, the paste was still nice and moist the following morning.

Ingredients:

Bi-carb soda

Liquid soap

Directions:

• Simply put a small amount of bi-carb soda in a bowl and add enough liquid soap to make a smooth paste.
• Consistency should be like frosting/icing.
• You can make up just enough to use then and there....or mix up a small tub full, and store with the lid on.

Tips:

• Works really well on sinks and bench tops.
• Tests a small area first.

Knitted Dishclothes

Wooden Furniture Polish

Furniture Polish Recipe I

INGREDIENTS:

• White vinegar
• Lemon juice

PREPARATION:

1. Combine equal parts white vinegar and lemon juice in a bowl or spray bottle.
2. Use a clean cloth to rub a small amount of the polish into your furniture.
3. Wipe dry with another cloth.

Furniture Polish Recipe 2

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup lemon juice

PREPARATION:

1. Combine olive oil and lemon juice in a bowl or spray bottle.
2. Use a clean cloth to rub a small amount of the polish into your furniture.
3. Wipe dry with another cloth.

Tips and Warnings:

1.  Do not reuse spray bottles that have contained other chemicals
2.  Shake before each use to recombine ingredients
3.  Cheap olive oil works just as well as more expensive grades
4.  Smaller batches can be made, if you prefer to use fresh polish each time you dust – just maintain the ratio found in the recipes

Wool Wash



The Ingredients:

4 cups soap flakes
4 cups boiling water
1 cup methylated spirits
1 Tablespoon of Eucalyptus essential oil
...or an essential oil of your choice. Lavender or Orange would also work nicely.

Directions:

• Firstly, put the soap flakes and boiling water into the large mixing bowl and mix well with the stick blender

• Next, add the methylated spirits and essential oil and again, mix well with the stick blender.
• Pour the mixture into the large preserving jar.

• Leave the jar overnight and it will set to a firm jelly. Voila! It's done!

It smells all nice and eucalyptusy although I can also smell the methylated spirits quite strongly, but this seems to go once it's added to warm water. 

To use, rub a small amount into stains or disolve 1 tablespoon of wool wash in warm water. Swish or soak the garment in warm water and then rinse well.

Citrus Surface Cleaner



The shop bought surface cleaners are another spray that often has me in fits of coughing!!  And more often than not, they leave an unsightly residue on the kitchen bench surfaces.  This recipe is a winner!!

Ingredients:

Water
Vinegar
Citrus peel

Directions:

• Fill a large jar with citrus peels (such as lemons, oranges, limes, grapefruits).
• Cover the peels with white household vinegar.
• Let sit for four weeks, shaking the jar occasionally.
• Strain through a fine sieve

To Use:

• Transfer the solution to a spray bottle, label and use!

Tips:

• Test surfaces first before using.

Window Cleaner



Ever sprayed the shop bought window cleaner, and got a wiff of it,  that has sent you into a coughing fit?  Ah huh! Toxic!!  Thanks to the discovery of this little gem, I can't even remember the last bottle of Windex bought!!  And being non-toxic, I now let my little boys use it, to help spot clean glass around the house!  Here it is.....home-made window cleaner....a much milder solution, and so much cheap!!

Ingredients:

2 cups Water
1/4 Vinegar

Directions:

• Mix and pour and store solution into a spray bottle
• Label your bottle

Tip:

It's been windely reported that washing your windows with vinegar is ineffective, because it leaves streaks all over the glass.  A little research, and one clever cookie has found the reason and solution!!  The streaks are caused by commercial window cleaner previously used, which has left a very fine wax residue.  The vinegar doesn't remove the wax, thus resulting in the streaking effect.  The solution is to add 1/2 teaspoon of liquid soap to the recipe!  Add it to the spray bottle, give it a good shake, and it's ready to go!!

Dishwashing Powder



I love my dishwasher!!  As a mother of 5 busy children, the invention of the dishwasher was a blessing indeed!!  But, I don't like the cost of dishwasher powder!  Nor do I like the toxicity of it!  I don't like that I'm advised not to put my new pots into the dishwasher, because the store bought powders are too abraisive and harsh.  So, it got me thinking, and searching for alternatives.  I am going to share several recipes.  There is just one thing to bear in mind, when using home made dishwashing powders....because they are minus the harsh abraisive chemicals, it's best to scrape out and pre-rinse your dirtiest dishes.  Personally, this isn't an issue for me, as it's what I have always done.  But I have noticed other people commenting on discussions threads, so thought I should mention it.

Here is the first recipe....

Recipe #1

Ingredients:

1 cup borax
1 cup bi-carb soda
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup citric acid
Vinegar
Essential oils (optional)

Instructions:

• Put all the dry ingredients in a plastic contain, and mix well

How to use:

• Place a tablespoon of powder in the diswasher dispenser
• Fill up "rinse aid" dispenser with vinegar, and add about 20 drops of essential oil. I like tea tree oil and lavendar...the clean smell, and both act as a mild disinfectant

Cost saving:

I have worked out the cost saving on products/ingredients bought in the local supermarket, here in Australia.  Of course, you can source many of these ingredients elsewhere, in bulk, and generic brands, and get them even cheaper.  This will be my next goal!!

• Store bought dishwasher tablets ~ worked out to about $1 per wash
• Good quality dishwasher powder ~ worked out to about 30 cents per wash
• Recipe #1 homemade dishwash powder ~ worked out to 14 cents per wash

Recipe #2

Ingredients:

1 cup borax
1 cup washing soda (sodium carbonate)
Vinegar
Essential oils (optional)

Instructions:

• Put ingredients in a plastic container, and mix well

How to use:

• Same as "recipe #1"

Cost Saving:

I have been told that sodium carbonate can actually be bought in pool supply shops, as it's used to balance the alkalinity in the water.  I'll look into this soon...and hope to post an even cheaper cost amount per load!!

• Recipe #2 homemade washing powder ~ worked out to 8 cents per wash

Liquid Soap



What a convenience.....soap on tap!!  I don't know about you, but the good old bar of soap is almost extinct in our home!!  It is so much more convenient, hygienic, and less messy with kids in the home!  But, it is much more expensive.  That's when I decided to start making my own!  Once you master the basic base of the liquid soap, you can customise frangrances, and even given them away as lovely handmade gifts!

Here's what you do...

Ingredients:

1 bar of soap
1 tablespoon of honey
1 teaspoon of glycerine
water

Directions:

• Grate the bar of soap into flakes into a bowl
• Add 1 cup of boiling hot water, and mix well with electric beaters or a hand-held blender.
• Add 1/2 cup room temperature water, honey and glycerine and mix again.
• Allow mixture to sit for about 15 minutes, and mix again.
• Pour mixture into a larger container, and add 4 cups of cool water.
• Mix well
• Allow to cool, without a lid.
• After an hour, place lid on container.  Mixture will thicken up.
• Shake before use, and water down as necessary.

To use:

I use this liquid soap everywhere!!  I use it in the kitchen, when hand washing my pots.  I use it to fill hand soap dispensers in the bathrooms.  And I use it for general cleaning around the house and garage too.

Pour into a bottle, and top up with water, to get the consistency you need.  Shake well before using.  If the mixture is too thin, melt a small amount of grated soap in hot water, and add.  This liquid soap is not very sudsy.....but, it's what's IN the soap that cleans, and NOT the bubbles!!

Optional:

• Add your favourite oil or herb infused water.