Recovered from the Wayback Machine.
How self sufficient do you want to be?
For instance, you can make your own homemade cleaner with a mix of castile soap, vinegar, baking soda, and water, but you don’t have to stop there. You can also make your own castile soap with a mixture of olive and lavender oils, water, and lye. But again, you don’t have to stop there, either. You can also make your own homemade lye.
When you break down the majority of home products, most can be made with a few simple, inexpensive components, easily obtained at the grocery store, or online in bulk. Not only will you know exactly what goes into a product you use to clean your home, but you’ll also ensure the products you use are safe for the environment, as well as being very inexpensive.
When you do look at recipes for household products, don’t just stop at the top level. Use your search skills and see how many of the ingredients can also be made at home. You might be surprised at what you find.
So I ask again: how self sufficient do you want to be? About the only limit to most do-it-yourself projects is whether you have access to a water barrel.