It always feels good to get everything cleaned and put away. It never lasts long around here, it is a farm with a working dog. I'll enjoy it for the few minutes that the chaos is under control.
Cleaning a bit more naturally lately. I'm going to use this as a location for the various recipes that I can never seem to find quickly.
Oven Cleaner-
I remember cleaning the oven at my mother's. It was a spray can of Easy - Off. This may be "Easy" but a bit dangerous as well. You should realize this when the directions are overshadowed by the warning label. I have breathing issues from allergies, this stuff always left me with a scratchy thoat, but dangers are even broader than that: Oven-cleaners-NYT
Ammonia and soap and water method- Preheat the oven to 150 degrees (or your lowest setting available). While the oven is heating, put on a pot of water to boil. Once the oven has reached 150, turn it off and pour 1 cup of ammonia into a heat safe bowl or baking dish and place it on the top rack of the oven. Place the pot of boiling water on the bottom rack, close the oven door, and leave them both in the oven overnight. The next morning, open the oven and remove both the bowl of ammonia and the pot of water, keep the ammonia – you’ll use it later. Remove the racks and leave the oven door open to air out for 15 minutes. Add 1-2 teaspoons of dish soap to the ammonia, along with 4 cups of warm water, and using a heavy-duty nylon scrubbing pad dipped in the ammonia mixture, begin to wipe away the softened grease and grime along the sides and bottom of the oven. It should be a fairly easy job at this point. Wear some kitchen gloves, since ammonia can be caustic to skin. Rinse/wipe clean with a damp cloth. Cost: $1.09 for the generic Ammonia.
Laundry Detergent-10 minutes
We have a High Efficiency (HE) combination Washer/Dryer. These have reported "funky" smell after a bit. I also notice that if the door is kept closed, it is worse, so we use the Attendance Magnet from Oak Park River Forest High School to keep it open. These laundry machines are not good with soap bubbles, so the recipe is a no suds and inexpensive way to wash. Last batch of Mrs. Myers I could find (we only have one store in town that carries it) it was over $10 for their 64 load version. This is able to make much more than that and some say that it is the difference of only about .15 cents per load, but that starts to add up over time. Plus, the simpler formula is less harsh on your clothes and skin, is hypo-allergenic and works.
Need -6 oz bar of natural soap (can grate your own or use something like Mrs. Meyers or Castille Soap.
1 cup Borax
1 cup Washing Soda -Arm and Hammer seems to be the one, but get SODA.
2 gallons of water
Directions: Grate the bar of soap into a large stock pot. Used a dull knife
Add one gallon of the water
Stir over medium/high heat until the soap is fully dissolved
Add borax and washing soda.
Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until it coagulates (thickens)
Take off the heat, add remaining one gallon of water and stir
Cool over night (Most recipes suggest putting it into jugs...but not just yet)
It does thicken quite a bit for me overnight. If you find it thickens and cannot be poured, the mixer helps to smooth this out.
Soap making from naturally found things on the farm, such as wood ashes and animal fat is a homestead skill that I remember seeing at the Historic Recreation sites, but it is not as time consuming and dangerous as that if you do it yourself. Great history lesson at: Wood Ridge Homestead Pioneer-soap-making
Why are supplies with Ammonia, Borax and Washing Soda Natural, because they are found in their basic form in nature.
Borax is found everywhere, check the laundry aisle. Borax is a naturally occurring mineral made up of sodium, boron, oxygen, and water.
Washing Soda is not as readily available. It is sodium carbonate or soda ash, is made from salt and limestone and can be found as natural deposits.This method of cleaning goes along with my steam mop that I have been using for many years.
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