We Like Making Our Own Stuff

To avoid clogging and bad odors, sink and tub drains should be periodically cleaned. A once a month cleaning with a non-toxic, homemade cleaner prevents needing a stronger, usually sodium hydroxide (lye) based, cleaner to remove clogs.  Sodium hydroxide is extremely caustic, and will damage the lungs if inhaled, burn skin and eyes, and can be fatal if swallowed.  In addition, the heat generated by using sodium hydroxide can soften PVC pipes, and damage old, corroded pipes.  It also changes the pH of water and can cause fish kills. A much nicer alternative to this harsh chemical is the simple combination of baking soda and vinegar, followed with boiling water.  When baking soda and vinegar are combined, they foam and expand, cleaning the sides of your pipes and dissolving fatty acids.  The boiling water then washes it all away.  This method is a great way to use up the box of baking soda in your frig that is not longer doing a good job of d...

It's a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it. The toilet isn't going to clean itself (especially when you've got sons).  Cleaning the toilet is a weekend chore at our house, and up until recently, we have been using commercial toilet cleaner.  But most commerical toilet cleaners contain some pretty harsh ingredients, such as sodium hypochlorite (bleach) and hydrochloric acid; and some contain ingredients that you'd have to be a chemist to understand, like 3-(3-Hydroxypropoxy)Propan-1-ol.  Don't ask me what that is, I have no idea. Once our store-bought toilet cleaner ran out, I decided I would craft my own toilet bowl cleaner, using safe ingredients that I can understand.  I saved and cleaned out the container from the store-bought cleaner to put my homemade stuff in, but I'm sure that any type of squeeze bottle would work alright for this. Homemade Toilet Bowl Cleaner Ingredients: 1 2/3 Cups baking soda 1/2 Cup liquid soap 1/2 Cup water...