Murphy's oil soap

[AaronsMommy]

I use Murphy's oil soap, white vinegar and water to clean just about every surface in my house (counters, table, high chair, windows, etc.) Is Murphy's oil soap safe to use, or when I run out should I replace it with Castille soap from Dr. Bronner?

[speck]

I've never used Murphy's, and don't know anything about it.

But, if you decide to switch to castille soap, I wanted to share a recipe I've been using for about a year that uses castille soap. I really like it!

(This is from a website that does not appear to exist anymore)

"Alice's Wonder Spray All-purpose Household Cleaner

Ingredients: liquid castille soap, white distilled vinegar, borax, purified water, an essential oil for fragrance (optional), and a clean 16-oz trigger spray bottle.

Mix 2 TBS of vinegar with 1 tsp of borax, and fill the rest of the bottle with very hot water. Shake until the borax is dissolved. Add 1/4 cup of liquid soap. To scent, add 10 to 15 drops of an essential oil. Because minerals in the water inhibit cleaning, it's best to use purified or distilled water especially for this recipe. It's important to dissolve the borax in hot water so that it doesn't clog the spray nozzle. And, don't mix the soap and vinegar directly together, because the soap will clump. Please follow the order of the recipe by mixing the vinegar, borax, and water first and adding the soap last."

I use Dr. Bronner's almond soap, because I love the smell. However, it does not smell nice if you mix essential oils with it. I'm sure some of the other scents would do better with essential oils. Also, I read somewhere that homemade cleaners need to sit for a few minutes before you wipe the spill. I guess the commercial cleaners have ingredients that speed the cleaning process, but are not great for us. With this recipe, I don't wait for long; just a minute or two, and it works great!

Stacy

[AaronsMommy]

Thanks for the recipe, but I thought Borax was toxic???

[speck]

hmmm...

I don't know, but I asked my holistic doc about the recipe before I started using it. She approved.

Does anyone else know?

[Juliacat]

Borax is mildly toxic.