Permaculture in New Zealand

Recipes for all sorts, liquid hand soap, disinfectant, laund, by Aleena La'ulu

Make it yourself
Written by Aleena La’ulu

Recipes for glass glue through to home made disinfectant, collected throughout the years. But I have to admit I have only tried some, not all.

THE BASICS FOR MAKING MOST OF THESE PRODUCTS

CLEANING PRODUCTS
Dishwashing liquid
Dishwasher soap powder
Dishwasher liquid
Disinfectant
Liquid hand soap
Laundry liquid

HEALTH PRODUCTS
Mouth wash
Toothpaste
Talcum powder
Basic bath salts
Head lice treatment
Flea powder

AROUND THE HOUSE PRODUCTS
Shoe polish
Waterproof glass glue
Waterproofing canvas
Water proofing leather for outdoor use
Basic waterproof glue

THE BASICS FOR MAKING MOST OF THESE PRODUCTS
Sunlight soap Washing soda
White vinegar Essential oils
Herbs Good quality oil
Baking soda Borax
Ordinary soap Epsom salts

CLEANING PRODUCTS

Dishwashing liquid
1 Cup grated Sunlight soap ½ Cup water
1 Cup washing soda
1 Cup white wine vinegar
Bring the water to the boil and add the grated soap. Remove the pot from the heat and stir until smooth. Add the soda and mix until blended. Stir in the vinegar. Store in a sealed container and label clearly.

Dishwasher soap powder
Mix and use per dishwasher load
1Tbsp Borax 1 Tbsp Baking soda
Mix equal part Borax and Baking soda and add 2 Tbsp per load. Increase proportion of soda for hard water. Use vinegar in the rinse cycle.

Dishwasher liquid
Washing soda White vinegar
Use ½ cup of washing soda per cycle. Add 2 Tbsp of vinegar to the rinse cycle. Make sure this is o.k. to use with your dishwasher with the instruction manual or manufacturer.

Disinfectant
Note: this recipe is highly concentrated and can be used for making sprays.
1 Tbsp water
1 packed cup of any of the following herbs: Rosemary, Lemon balm, Angelica, Basil, Comfrey, Mint, apple mint, Cologne mint, Peppermint, Spearmint.
Wash the herbs under cold running water. Place ingredients in a blender and blend to a fine pulp from time to time. After 2 days place the pulp in muslin or some other fine cloth, squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Place liquid back in the open jar for a further 2-3 days. Stir liquid form time to time. Keep stored in the refrigerator with a lid. Shake jar daily to prevent moulding.

Liquid hand soap
125g left over soap scraps 1-2 litres of water
2 Tbsp washing soda
In a non-metal saucepan bring to the boil the water and soap scraps until nice and creamy looking. Leave to cool and add the washing soda. If too thick add more water. Pour into old milk containers for storage. For immediate use pour into a pump container and use as you would any other normal liquid hand soap.

Laundry liquid
½ cup water 1 cup washing soda
1 Tbsp Eucalyptus essential oil
1 Cup grated sunlight soap

Bring the water to the boil and stir in the grated soap. Remove the pot from the heat and stir until the mixture is smooth. Stir in the washing soda and the Eucalyptus oil. Store in old milk containers or any old bottles and use ¼ - ½ cup of liquid to a bucket of water or washing load.

HEALTH PRODUCTS

Mouth wash
2 cups water 3tsp fresh parsley
2 tsp whole cloves 2tsp ground cinnamon
2tsp peppermint extract
Boil water and remove form heat. Add dry ingredients and allow to steep for 10-15 minutes. Strain and store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator. If desired you can substitute other flavou8ring for peppermint if the minty flavour is not to your taste.

Toothpaste
¼ tsp peppermint oil ¼ tsp spearmint
¼ cup arrowroot ¼ cup powdered orris root
¼ cup water 1 tsp ground sage
Mix ingredients all together in a bowl. Add water until pas is desired consistency. Store at room temperature in a tightly covered jar or container. Substitute ½ tsp each of oil of cinnamon and oil of cloves for peppermint/spearmint if desired.

Talcum powder
1 cup cornflour 1 cup baking soda
Cloves, spices, lavender or scented sachets
Shake ingredients together and store in an airtight container with the scented sachet of your choice.

Basic bath salts
Food colouring Epsom salts
Fragrance (Scented oils)
Mix the Epsom salts, food colouring and fragrance thoroughly and store in an airtight jar.

Head lice treatment
Treatment 1
Castor oil
Coat hair with castor oil and cover with a disposable shower cap. Leave on over night. In the morning put shampoo on hair before you wet it. Wash twice or until the castor oil and lice are all gone. Comb hair carefully with a nit comb to be sure there is no lice left. Hair is conditioned and looks great.
Treatment 2
Any good quality oil, sunflower, safflower etc 50ml
6 drops of Tea Tree essential oil
Mix ingredients and cover head with the mixture. Cover head with a disposable shower cap or glad wrap or towel, leave over night and then wash thoroughly in the morning. Comb hair carefully with nit comb to make sure there is no lice left. This treatment really does work well.

Flea powder
Rosemary
Dry the rosemary either in the oven on a low heat for several hours or hang in bunches upside down in a warm room. Remove as much of the leaves from the stalks as possible and blend in a blender or mortar and pestle until it is a fine powder. Sprinkle all around the infected area and on the animal infected. Leave for at least two days. (Really works well).

AROUND THE HOUSE PRODUCTS

Shoe polish
100g bees wax 100g white candle wax
50g finely grated pure soap ¼ cup turpentine
¼ cup boiling water
Mix the waxes and soap and pour over the turpentine. Mix until well blended. Leave in a covered glass container for 24 hours then add the boiling water. Beat constantly until the mixture is thick and creamy.

Waterproof glass glue
2 Tbsp cold water 10g unflavoured gelatine
3 Tbsp skim milk
Oil of cloves (optional preservative)
In a bowl dissolve the gelatine in the cold water. Bring milk to a boil and then stir into softened gelatine. Add a few drops of oil of cloves if glue is to be kept for more than a day. To use: While the glue is still warm, brush a thin layer on the objects to be glued. Store in an air-tight container. This glue will also gel when cooled, soften to use by placing the jar in warm water. Good for adhering glass to glass, can be used for adhering glass to other objects when in its gelled state.

Waterproofing canvas
1 ½ cups turpentine 3 cups soybean oil
Mix ingredients together. Paint on surfaces of tents, camping equipment, awnings, car and boat covers etc and leave to dry. Store in a cool place out of reach of children and pets. Re-apply after a year or two of hard use or outdoor exposure.

Water proofing leather for outdoor use method 1
60g Neats foot oil (oil is flammable so be careful, available from boot or shoe store)
15g mineral oil
10g Tallow (Tallow is flammable so be careful, available from meat market)
Stir gently until well mixed. Cool and bottle. Use a cloth to rub into shoes and boots.

Water proofing leather for outdoor use method 2
1 Tbsp silicone oil (available from foundry or foundry supply dealer)
1 cup of Stoddard solvent (available from hardware store, drugstore or dry cleaning shop.
Mix silicone and Stoddard together thoroughly and apply liberally to leather.

Basic waterproof glue
6 Tbsp water 10g unflavoured gelatine
2 Tbsp white vinegar 2 tsp glycerine
Bring water to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in gelatine until it is dissolved. Add vinegar and glycerine and stir well. Let the mixture cool slightly and pour into a jar and seal tightly. To use this glue it is best
applied while warm. Apply to surfaces using a brush. The glue will gel after a few days. To re-use warm the glue by placing the jar in a pan of hot water. Good for binding leather to leather, fabrics to cardboard or paper to paper.

Entered by Aleena La'ulu