I was so excited to get my frozen container of Dr. Bronner’s cleaner I recently ordered from well.ca

I love Dr. Bronners, I use their cleaner to tackle every job, some require full strength but I mainly dilute it.  A 16oz bottle is priced below $10 and my last bottle last me a full year.  Not a bad investment.  I have since purchased their baby soap and their famous peppermint castille soap of which we use to bath and to fill our soap dispensers with. The best part about Dr. Bronners is the fact they are certified organic, not tested on animals and certified fair trade.  In addition to all of the above his labels are thoroughly amusing.

Well.ca is an on-line store I frequently purchase from.  Not only do they have an excellent selection of products for you and your family’s well being they have the best customer service ever.  Seriously, they practically call you when the Canada Post truck is turning into your subdivision.  Obviously I ignored that e-mail and left the bottle until the following Monday upon which I found it frozen solid.

The best part about Well.ca is free shipping resulting in fewer shopping trips with children…..priceless.

Even if I was filthy rich I would still resort to the following frugal tip….come to think of it I would probably do most of them because it’s fun.  This one would especially follow me into my new mansion (I can dream can’t I?) homemade dishwashing detergent.

I admit I was a skeptic.  After reading many tips and recipes on this subject I found mostly negative results and reviews.  Because of this I stuck to my trusty homemade laundry soap and dared not to venture where Borax should not go.  All the while I silently cursed every time I squeezed the final drop of Palmolive and had to run to the store  because my house came to a screeching halt when the dishwasher was silent.  I know what you are thinking, I could always resort to washing by hand but I have done that for many years and I did not want to go back there.

I finally ran across this wonderful article on the “Amazing Dishwasher” by Amy of Mom Advice where she mentioned a recipe that she personally uses and endorses.  Since I had tonnes of Borax and Arm and hammer wash soap I thought I had nothing to lose and went for it.  A total of 5 seconds later I had a batch whipped up and proceeded to run the load through.  Keep in mind this load had been sitting there for nearly 2 days due to my sheer determination to not do them by hand.  Upon completion, I sheepishly opened the door fully expecting there to be a heavy film over everything not to mention part of the meatloaf consumed two nights earlier.  Much to my surprise everything was sparkling clean….wow.  I wanted to test this out a couple of times before signing its praises, so after three more loads without my families knowledge the dishes were radiant.

Because Borax and Arm and hammer wash soda are septic safe I am assuming they are somewhat environmentally friendly.  I am all for going green but with a family of 6 and a neverending stream of caked on dirty dishes I needed something more than a little earth friendly rose water and a prayer.  I needed the big guns and I think this is a decent compromise.

So here is the recipe, give it a try and let me know what you think.

1 cup Borax

1 cup washing soda (Arm and Hammer)

1/4 cup salt

I mix all together and fill my dispensers before starting.  She also suggests keeping the rinse agent area filed with vinegar.

For more works for me Wednesday’s and frugal ideas visit We are that family