Springtime is full of fun activities like gardening and crafting. The warmer weather is also ideal for cleaning. While it may be as not as fun as other spring activities, I always feel better when things are cleaned and organized. The following recipes and tips can help make the process a little easier, and maybe even a little enjoyable. =) I’m right in the middle of the book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” and I haven’t even gotten through the first 10% and I’m already inspired to clean, organize and throw things out! =)
Soaping can be a messy process. There are several ways to clean after making cold process soap, including washing the dishes right away. You can also let your tools sit (unattended, on a high shelf so little hands can’t grab them) for 48-72 hours. During that time, the soap saponifies and hardens, allowing you to scrape it out and wash your equipment. Learn more in the Soapy Session Clean Up Guide.
Spring is also a great time to clean soap molds. When cared for properly, soap molds can last for years. Silicone molds should be washed with warm water and dish soap. Wood molds should be cleaned with 99% isopropyl alcohol and a clean paper towel. After they’re clean, you can go the extra mile and shine your wood molds with Simple Citrus Furniture Polish. The combination of beeswax, olive oil and castor oil will make your molds look new, condition it and help keep your mold in top-top shape for years (even decades as some of my older molds can attest to). Read more mold care tips here.
Organizing is another aspect of spring cleaning. While you’re caring for your molds, you may notice there are some you want to give away or sell. There are several factors to consider before parting with your supplies, such as the condition of your supplies, and if you have the time and energy to organize a sale. Get more tips in the Declutter It Up post. I’m personally posting a bunch of my knitting supplies on EBay during my decluttering process and while it’s sad to see them go, I’m excited to have space in my life for more crafty things that I can do with my kiddos.
If you have leftover soap after organizing, you can use it for laundry soap. Handmade laundry soap is made with a variety of ingredients like baking soda and borax. It’s also a great way to use lye heavy soap. Click through the Three DIY Laundry Soap Recipes to learn more.
To fight stains in your kitchen and bathroom, you can use the Crisp Orange Cleaning Spray. The spray is made with hydrogen peroxide, vinegar and 99% isopropyl alcohol to make the surfaces in your house shine. It also has Peppermint Essential Oil, 1st Distill and Orange Valencia Essential Oil to give your home a fresh scent. To keep your bathroom smelling fresh in between cleanings, you can use the Fizzy Toilet Fresheners. They fill your bathroom with a clean mix of Lemon Essential Oil and Peppermint Essential Oil, 2nd Distillation. The sodium bicarbonate and citric acid help combat residue and stains.
Room spray is another way to freshen your house. The Springtime Room Spray is scented with Spring Meadow and Crisp Apple Rose. It will make any room in your house smell like a spring garden.
Top row: Fizzy Toilet Fresheners
Bottom row, left to right: Springtime Room Spray, Crisp Orange Cleaning Spray
One cleaning ingredient we always have on hand is 99% isopropyl alcohol. Alcohol helps clean off soaping equipment, as well as any surfaces you may have spills. It also helps remove leftover scent from molds. Read more in the Sunday Night Spotlight: 99% Isopropyl Alcohol post. Baking soda is another staple. It is a gentle exfoliant, which is great for scrubbing away dirt and grime. Read more about it here.
While spring is almost over, it’s not too late to get all your spring cleaning done before the summer heat. Do you have a handmade cleaning product you love to use? I’d love to hear the recipe!
Hello all,
Though it is winter and freezing cold, Im in the “Spring Cleaning” mood. I have gobs of brown glass containers that my oils came in that are now empty. Any ideas on how to get the fragrances out so they are fresh and clean for a new use?
Your thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Scottie
We do have some ideas! You can find them in this post: https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/use-every-last-drop-fragrance-oil/
Pouring salt in the containers will give you lovely bath salts. The salts also absorb the fragrance, helping to deodorize the bottles. Once you pour the salt out, you can soak the fragrance bottles in warm water and dish soap, then wash like normal. Spritzing with rubbing alcohol and wiping with a paper towel can lift some of the scent as well. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hi There-
I’m curious about the laundry soap recipes. Are there any baby safe ways of making laundry soap? Does the shredded soap have to be fragrance free? Can you add essential oils to the soap or do you add it to the laundry soap mix? I want to make this for my sister, my nephew is just over 3 months old and the baby safe laundry soap (dreft) gets expensive among everything else you have to buy baby safe, so I wanted to make her a cheaper alternative that would be safe for my nephew too. I don’t have any unscented soap that I’ve made or any lye heavy soap, all the soap I currently have made has fragrance and/or micas added to it for color (are mica colored soaps okay to use for this or will it stain clothes?) Would you suggest the recipe for the light duty loads for baby clothes or can I do the heavy duty load recipe so it can be more multi purposed?
Thanks so much!
Do you have any DIY/Homemade baby safe recipes? I’d love to see those if you did!
Hi Tara!
These recipes can be used for baby clothes! Any leftover soap will be washed and dried off in the laundry. If your nephew has any sensitivities or sensitive skin, you can leave the soap uncolored and unfragranced to be on the extra safe side. If you don’t have any on hand, you can use our Unscented Cold Process Loaf: https://www.brambleberry.com/Unscented-CP-Soap-Loaf-45-oz-P5159.aspx
You can also use scented and colored soap if you like! The color shouldn’t transfer to clothing as long as it’s not overcolored. To check for that, you can wash with a bar and make sure the bubbles are clear. You can also use soap scented with essential oils, then add more essential oils to the laundry soap itself for a stronger scent! I would recommend starting with about 1 mL of essential oil per cup of powdered detergent. You can see some great essential oil blends in the Three DIY Laundry Recipes post: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/home-crafts/three-diy-laundry-soap-recipes/
In that post, there are several recipes, including one for light loads and one for heavy loads. 🙂
I would recommend making your laundry soap then testing some of your clothes with it first. If you notice any irritation on your skin, you can adjust the recipe before having your nephew try it!
Also, we have some awesome baby recipes you may like. I’ll include links below. 🙂
Buttermilk Bastille Baby Bars: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/cold-process-soap/buttermilk-bastille-baby-bar-on-soap-queen-tv/
Baby Massage Oil video: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/soaks-and-scrubs/baby-massage-oil-video/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Thank you for sharing these fantastic tips! I have never used this combination of beeswax, olive oil and castor oil. You really inspired me. I am going to clean this weekend. Thank you! 🙂
You’re very welcome Billie! Have fun cleaning (or as much fun as possible while cleaning!) 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
A great reminder and I love the cute flower bath bomb mold.
So glad you enjoy the post Michelle! Also, I love that mold too. It makes really cute wax tarts as well. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Spiral Flower Wax Tart Mold: https://www.brambleberry.com/Spiral-Flower-Wax-Tart-Mold-P5561.aspx
My sister just told me about that book, and that I should only read it when I have the time and energy to deep clean my whole house!! I am patiently waiting for it to get here! Thanks for the cleaning tips, I always put my soapy dishes in the garage for a few days, they are so much easier to wash! I had forgotten about the toilet fizzled, I’m going to make those today!
So glad you like the tips LuAnn! Also, that sounds like a great cleaning method for dishes. That way that soap pops right off your equipment. Have fun making toilet fizzies! 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
I JUST gave our kitchen sink a good scrub – I guess I’m in the Spring Cleaning mood, too! My last step was to rub it down with some lemon essential oil that was just a touch too old to use in products – now the kitchen smells great & the sink is pearly white 😀
That is such an awesome tip! I bet your kitchen smells amazing. I’m going to try that out on my sink. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
I was wondering if you could suggest a software program that would assist me in making: Labels for my soap, banners and brochures? I am looking for something that is user friendly, and professional looking finish.
Thank you for your time. Love you site have learned so much from it and your book.
Teri
Hi Teri!
I’m not familiar with a program like that. However, some of the soapers on the Teach Soap Forum may be! They may be able to tell you which program they use. 🙂
Teachsoap.com/forum
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry