Reader's Digest

Make your own pantry staples, cleaning products, pet food, health and beauty supplies, and hundreds of other household items—fast, fresh, and more naturally.

Here are low-cost, all-natural replacement recipes for more than 700 name-brand products that you buy week in and week out at the supermarket, pharmacy, or discount store. Save a fortune making your own everyday cooking, cleaning, and toiletry products! At the same time, you’ll fill your cabinets with fresh, super high-quality products that work or taste great—without all the chemicals and preservatives of store-bought versions. Plus, ‘think green”—you will greatly reduce the amount of useless, environment-damaging waste and garbage—spray bottles, jars, and cans. For cleaning, laundering, and polishing, the compounds are much gentler and less damaging to drains, sewage, and septic systems.

The ingredients in most brand-name products account for only pennies of the purchaser’s dollar and rest of what you spend covers advertising, packaging, shipping, and the retailer’s overhead.

Try these easy to make recipes:

Food Staples: mayonnaise, peanut butter, breakfast cereals, soft drinks, pasta sauce, pickles, and jellies—save 50% on homemade salsa

Beauty and Health Supplies: moisturizers, facials, lip balm, aftershave, decongestant, foot powder, and PMS tea—save 90% on aftershave

Household Compounds: glues, wood stains, ant traps, and houseplant food

Cleaning Supplies and Polishes: carpet fresheners, cleaners, mildew remover, dishwasher detergent, and fabric softener—save 95% on homemade bathroom cleaner

Pet Supplies: liver snaps, dog shampoo, flea dip, cat litter, pet bird honey treats, and hamster fruit cup—save 73% on cat treats

Garden Products: fertilizer, soil conditioners, weed killer, deer repellents, and snail traps

And much more

Making low-cost, more natural versions of your favorite name brand grocery items is simple when you know the secrets. Homemade is your guide to saving a small fortune by making everyday household items yourself.