I have tried making my own cleaning solutions, but few of the recipes work. Vinegar, for example is good for some things (like dissolving hard water stains in tea kettle and cleaning out dog bowl slime) but doesn’t cut grease.

And, truthfully, I don’t want to spend tons of my time making absolutely everything. If it’s easy to make (like the sugar scrub below) I will make my own. However, if something nontoxic is out there THAT WORKS and is not too expensive, I am going to buy it.After all, my transition to living more simply is meant to free up more time for soul-fulfilling activities.

So I am delighted to find Sal Suds (Dr. Bronners). It is the dream product I have been seeking the last few years. It comes concentrated and I have bottled up several different dilutions for different uses. There are some good dilution recommendations on the bottle.

I now use various dilutions of Dr. Bronners for everything, including dish washing soap (I do by hand), counter top and glass cleaner, bathroom cleaner, laundry soap and stain remover!!! I also washed down base boards. It is stupendous for all that deep cleaning stuff that I am trying to finish before garden season. The photo below shows some of my Sal Suds solutions in recycled containers/bottles. After making 3 sets of  all the dilutions you see below, I still have 3/4 of the original bottle left.

Bottles from left to right: concentrated Sal Suds, very dilute mix for dish soap, spray bottle for cleaning around house, squeeze bottle for cleaning floors (fill sink or bucket, add some of this), small spray bottle for stain removal. I have some in the upstairs bathroom, downstairs bathroom and under the sink.

I wish that a local merchant would carry Sal Suds. Since they don’t and because I live in a rural area, I order online, through Amazon.Click Sal Suds Liquid Cleanser 32 Ounces to order.

Note, I have also done this series of dilutions with Simple Green. It dries out my hands and I don’t like the fragrance. However, I found it is great for cleaning outdoors (furniture, concrete, flower pots, etc).

Now, don’t think that my house is spotless! I actually intensely dislike cleaning. It just gets dirty again, right? Much rather be outside in the garden, but I do have a limit to what I can live in!