Instead of throwing away your handwash and spray bottles to go and buy new ones, why not recycle them and make your very own cheap, natural, Earth and animal friendly, delicious smelling products.
I never tire of blending fragrant essential oils to make soap nut liquid smell good enough to eat, making cleaning a real pleasure and leaving your home smelling fresh and vibrant without that background, lingering chemical smell.
What’s more, the liquid goes beyond cleaning your kitchen worktops but makes the perfect base for a soothing, naturally antibacterial and moisturising handwash. It can also be used as a body and hair wash and is gentle enough for babies and pets.
All you need is a bag of soap nuts (I’ve had the same 1kg bag which cost under £10 since May last year!), essential oils and optional extras of white vinegar and a moisturising liquid oil such as almond or avocado.
For all you need to know about soap nuts including details on how to use them and other natural cleaning tips, see this post.
For the soap nut liquid:
Simply add a handful (about 10-15 half shells) to a pan and cover with a litre of hot tap water. Bring to a boil then simmer for ten minutes. Remove from the heat, cool, strain and you have basic soap nut liquid that can be used in so many ways and in so many places. Multiply as necessary to fill the volume of your bottles.
For the Orange & Grapefruit All Purpose Cleaner Spray:
Add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar to a spray bottle with a few drops each of grapefruit and orange essential oils then fill with the soap nut liquid, give a little shake and adjust the scent by adding more drops of essential oils if necessary.
For the Avocado & Lime Moisturising Hand Wash:
Take a handwash pump bottle (a foaming one works best) and add a tablespoon of avocado oil with a few drops of lime essential oil then fill with soap nut liquid. Shake and add more essential oil until you reach a scent that you like, you can also add an extra tablespoon of oil if your hands get really dry from washing. Use as you would any other hand wash.
Printable handwash label personalised from here.
