There is an economical, ecological and do-it-yourself method that will help you clean your house perfectly. Let’s see what it is.
T his is a difficult economic period for many Italian families. The recent increases in electricity prices and inflation have increased the cost of living and shopping is increasingly expensive. Therefore, we are looking for new ways to save as much as possible , if possible using what we already have at home or making do-it-yourself, especially when cleaning. Here’s how to make a low-cost homemade soap that, in addition to being ecological, can be used on any surface.
How to save on detergents
The problems of common detergents on the market can be different. Leaving aside the economic factor, we often find ourselves faced with highly chemical detergents, difficult to rinse, which can cause itching and irritation or with odors that are too strong. Without forgetting that you have to buy different detergents for the different uses that will be made of them . Thanks to the recent spread of ecological detergents on tap, for many allergy sufferers the problem is solved, but their price could still discourage them.
But there is good news for saving on detergents. You can solve this by making just one that can be used on floors, in the washing machine and even in the kitchen. The necessary ingredients are few and easy to find and making it is not difficult at all. Here’s how to do it.
Making an eco-friendly homemade cleaner
As already mentioned, you will need some simple ingredients that are easily available at the supermarket. The raw material is solid soap, Marseille soap is recommended for its well-known antibacterial properties. You will then need coconut oil and potassium salts , also known as potassium chloride. If you have never heard of it, know that it is a mineral very often present in supplements, so it will be easy to find it in supermarkets that have a dedicated section or in pharmacies and parapharmacies.
The process is very simple. First you will have to crumble the soap bar and, once reduced to small flakes, you will have to combine it with the coconut oil, which will become liquid when in contact with body heat and with the potassium salts.
Start by adding small doses of the two ingredients and mixing until you get an easily workable compound. Be careful not to overdo it with the coconut oil, which, although purifying, is still an oil and therefore very greasy. You must then create medium or small yellow balls with these three ingredients, which will give shape to our soap in doses . Once made, the soap balls should be placed in an airtight container and stored in a cool, dry place, protected from heat or sunlight.
How to use yellow soap balls
Now that you have created your own personal cleaner, you can try using it on any surface to test its performance and effectiveness. But how do you use it if it is in a solid state? Very simple, just melt a ball in a bowl of hot water and stir until it dissolves . If used on steel surfaces, you can dip a soft sponge in the bowl with soap and then pass it over the surfaces that need cleaning. Just rub well and then rinse with a damp cloth.
Our new detergent can also be used in the bathroom and especially on sanitary ware, thanks to its natural degreasing action. In this case the ball will have to be dissolved in very hot or boiling water, it will have to be mixed until completely dissolved and then use a sponge cloth or a soft sponge to pass over all the sanitary ware.
As we said at the beginning, not only for surfaces but also for laundry . If you used Marseille soap to create your soap balls the result will be excellent, but other types of solid soap will not be any less.
All you have to do is add a ball of soap to the laundry, directly into the washing machine drum and then normally start the wash cycle suitable for the type of fabric in the washing machine.
Obviously the number of balls to use both in the washing machine and for cleaning depends both on the quantity of clothes to wash and the spaces to clean, and on the size of the balls. The advice for the first time is to create different sizes, so you can do some tests and understand which dose is suitable for your needs.
