Homemade Dish Soap

Over the last 6 months or so, I have been making a very conscious effort to rid my home of chemicals. Orginally, I looked at the "organic" products on the shelves and found that there was a price to be paid for convenience! So...I began finding ways to make and create my own cleaning supplies and to my surprise...they work! I have previously made my own dishwashing detergent, spray cleaners, laundry soap, etc...but this was the LAST piece to my cleaning puzzle....HOMEMADE DISH SOAP.

After the recent loss of my dishwasher (RIP), I found myself paying almost $4 a bottle for liquid dish soap to avoid the chemical filled ones. That was NOT going to last long! So...I did some digging and found this amazing recipe that is not only frugal for an "organic" cleaner BUT saves you TONS of money even if you are buying a budget brand!

I would say that this entire jar of dish cleaner cost me about 50-75 cents and it was so easy to make!
 NOT TOO SHABBY!!! PLUS...these are almost the same ingredients that I use for m homemade laundry soap so they are already on hand--SCORE!



Ingredients:

• 2-1/2 cups boiling water
• 1 tablespoon Borax
• 1 tablespoon washing soda
• 2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar
• 1/2 cup castile soap ( I grated mine or you can buy liquid)
• 8-10 drops essential oil (optional)

Here is how easy this is to do.........

1. Place castile soap into mixing container (I grated mine from a bar but you can buy the liquid)
2. Add the Borax and Washing Soda
3. Pour in the boiling water then add the vinegar
4. Add any essential oils you would like to give your soap extra fragrance! I used a bar of soap that already had essential oild in it and my soap smells amazing.

When it begins to cool, pour it into whatever container you would like to use. Over the next few hours, your soap will begin to setup and become more of a gel so it is important to pour it into a squeeze bottle BEFORE this happens!

This really was super easy and only took me about 5 minutes to make..even with grating the soap! It is well worth the time and will save you TONS in the long run!

10 GREAT USES FOR BANANA PEELS

So...I can finally admit it, I have become a "Hippie" ...please don't tell my husband! I am noticing myself- everyday- finding uses for things that I used to throw away. First was lemon peels, then egg shells, the crusts of bread (post coming soon) , and now banana peels have made the list. Just think...before the other day, I thought banana peels were only good for tripping people - and trust me...they really aren't even good for that. Now, I know that the peel has TONS of uses. They contain antifungal, antibiotic and enzymatic properties that are too great to be thrown away!

In addition to being a hippie, I am also CHEAP...I mean "Frugal".  I go to the grocery store almost everyday to scope out the "ripe" fruit selections. I ALWAYS score with bananas. Whenever I find the bananas with this gorgeous red label I buy everything that they have! My grocery store marks these gems down to 29 cents PER POUND..which means I get about 5 bags FULL of bananas for $5! They may not look pretty on the outside BUT the inside is still beautiful! These 5 bags of bananas don't make it very long at my house- my kids will eat them all day long leaving little room for me to use them- but I still get to use them up in some awesome ways: banana bread; smoothies; top them with peanut butter; and even on cereal when I can get to them!

This overusage of bananas leads to one thing....TONS of banana peels sitting in the trash can.  I began to feel badly about this waste so went on a mission to find some uses...here they are in no particular order!

10 WAYS TO USE BANANA PEELS!

1. Splinter removal - If you have a pesky splinter, simply wrap the peel around it and let it sit for a while. The enzymes in the peel should cause the splinter to work its way to the surface!

2. Warts - The peel is also said  to cure warts! Rub the warts each night before bed time with the inside of the banana peel. Over time, your warts will disappear! It is also great for plantar warts.

3. Bug Bites - The bugs...they LOVE me so I will definitely be using this trick more often. Rub the inside of a banana peel over your itchy bits and you will get some relief!

4.  Use them to fertilize plants - I have heard of this being done a few ways...compost heaps, drying them out, etc BUT this is the easiest that I have heard of! Add banana peels to a jar and cover with water. The nutrients from the banana peel will seep their way into the water. Use this nutritious water on your plants and they will love you! I have also heard of  people placing the peels or cut up peels under mulch to be absorbed into the ground.

5. Love butterflies? Add small pieces of peel to your garden and you should see more butterflies!

6. Acne relief - Rub the white side of the peel on any acne you may have - do not rinse it off for at least 30 minutes.  This will bring the trapped oils and junk to the surface and with regular use (shoot for 3 times a day if you can) will eliminate acne!

7. Whiten teeth - Not sure if this one works or not but it is reported that rubbing your teeth for 2 minutes a day with the white side of the peel will whiten and brighten your smile! Some swear by it....I will have to test it out and see what I think!

8. Baking a chicken- Wrap the chicken with a few banana peels and the chicken will remain moist and tender while cooking!

9. Fight Wrinkles and Aging - Bananas are known for their restorative properties and also for fighting age! Regularly applying banana peel to your forehead and cheeks can tighten the skin and reduce wrinkles. It May not a miracle treatment but think of all of the vitamins and minerals you will be imparting to your skin.

10. Household uses - you can also polish silver, shine up leather shoes, and clean the leaves of artificial plants with the banana peel

Do you ave any wacky uses for the banana peel? I would love to hear about it !