Category Archives: Cleaning

Natural cleaning, soapberries, vinegar, homemade cleaners & more.

MYO Dishwasher Tabs – Quick & Cheap!

by Texas Homesteader
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I recently became extremely disenchanted with my crappy low-end dishwasher.  I mean, why must we wash our dishes THREE times? Once BEFORE putting the in the dishwasher, once during the dishwasher’s many cycles and then once again when you pull the still-dirty dishes from the dishwasher! It would be easier to hand-wash the dishes but it was the principle of the thing. We have a dishwasher, we fill it with name-brand detergent and it just doesn’t clean the dishes.

Then right before buckling and replacing the dishwasher we were told to try dishwasher tabs instead of powder. I had always shunned them because they are so exorbitantly expensive. But upon trying them I was convinced. Our dishes came out clean, but oh at what expense?

Not only were they pricey but these dish-washing tab products had individually wrapped tabs that are tucked into a plastic molded tray, then placed inside a foil-covered cardboard box and then the whole thing plastic wrapped again. There has to be a better way both financially & environmentally!  Hummm…  Wonder if I can make my own dishwasher tabs?  Um, YES!

4-INGREDIENT HOMEMADE DISHWASHER TABS - I hate the amount of trash that's included with commercial dishwasher tabs. Make it yourself and SAVE! #TexasHomesteader

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MYO Inexpensive Citrus-Scented Cleaner

by Texas Homesteader 

I like to use the most non-toxic products when I clean, so I often make my own. Luckily it’s super easy (and super inexpensive) to make your own cleaners. One of the most common standbys for me is plain distilled vinegar. So inexpensive and such a great cleaner. And I’ve read that its acidity makes it effective at killing many kinds of bacteria and molds. Plus it’s also a great deodorizer.

But RancherMan’s not fond of the smell of vinegar so I typically scent it with something natural. I’ve used rosemary to scent it for my Rosemary-Scented Hair Rinse. But today I’m making it citrus scented for cleaning.

MYO CHEAP CITRUS-SCENTED CLEANER - Vinegar's acidity makes it effective at killing many kinds of bacteria & it's a great deodorizer. #TexasHomesteader

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Western Soapberry Tree – Clean Clothes Naturally?

by Texas Homesteader ~ 

You’ll remember a few weeks ago I was delighted to find a very beneficial tree at an old abandoned homestead sight on property we had recently obtained.

It was identified as a Jujube TreeI picked much of the fruit from those trees and dehydrated Jujube fruit for use in my homemade Pumpkin Granola. They are absolutely delicious.

But recently RancherMan & I were checking on the cows in that remote pasture & I happened to look up and see what looked like the golden berries of a Soapberry Tree. I’d read about them before, but could it be??

Soap That Grows On Trees? I've discovered Western Soapberry Trees on our property. How exciting to think these trees provide us more natural cleaning! #TexasHomesteader
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Make Your Own Gentle Baby Wipes

by Texas Homesteader ~ 

When my children were babies I of course used baby wipes by the thousands! But now my children are grown and I have grandbabies to enjoy.

I’m in a different place in my life and thankfully the flurry and time-crunched period of my child-rearing days have slowed down.

But recently I found myself in need of a small supply of baby wipes. In my more time-crunched days I would have simply driven to the store and purchased what I needed. But now I hate to buy something I can easily make myself.

So onto the internet I went looking for solutions. There are several different ways to make wipes but I only needed a few for temporary needs.

So I sweet-talked RancherMan into surrendering some of his heavy paper shop towels – PERFECT!

I didn't have to run to the store for baby wipes, I made my own. This method was easy and I used items I already had in my home like coconut oil and baby wash! #TexasHomesteader

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