Life Saver/Planet Saver/ Money Saver
I am amazed at how my attitude towards mainstream products like toothpaste, shampoo and laundry powder has changed since I found out how easy it is to make your own. For thirty years I spent a fortune on consumable products to clean myself and my home… if only I had known what a big rip-off it all is.
A simple, affordable, edible product – white vinegar – has replaced, deodorant, conditioner, almost all cleaning products, fabric softener and air freshener in my home. At 15 cents for 100mls just think of the money it has saved me and all the packaging and chemicals it has saved from polluting our overloaded planet. The white vinegar does the same job or better at a fraction of the cost.
We are all slaves to advertising really. I have now gotten to the stage where branded products that I used to pay big dollars for without a care the world ie: Impulse, Rexona, Glade, Persil… are really annoying me and I would not touch them ever again with a bargepole. And to think I was training my children up to spend all their money on these expensive rip-offs.
I think by stumbling across the idea of making more things yourself, I have saved a lot more than mere money. Just the 18-recipes in my pamphlets and the knowledge learnt from the Baking Soda and White Vinegar books is all you need to get started – once your mindset changes you are away and supermarkets shopping will never be the same again, with you as the big winner.
Hi there, just wondering if it matters what brand of white vinegar works best? will homebrand or budget work just as well as a more expensive brand?
Go for the cheapest. Countdown sometimes has 2 litres for 89 cents and Bin Inn is always good and you can fill your own container there.
Hi there, love your site. I have recently bought a front loader washing machine and until then had been using my own home made laundry powder. I have had a few people mention (all DIY product converts) that home made powder due to the soap can block the powder inlets into the wash bowl. Obviously I want to avoid this as it is extremely expensive to have fixed. Have you heard of this and if so do you have any recommendations for frontloader laundry powder? I can’t stand the thought of going back to off the shelf products.
I have heard it is a good idea to put hot water through machines on a regular basis to keep them clean of soap residues – I also put a cup of white vinegar through mine occasionally for the same reason – on wash cycle. Some people find just washing soda crystal alone are fine for general washing which cuts the soap out all together.