Kindness

Kindness is essential in our daily lives.
I will share weekly a new post with a message of how powerful kindness really can be.

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Homemade Dog Shampoo on a Dime





Dog beautification.

That's what it's all about, right?

Saving dollars in the process doesn't hurt either.

Just like my food recipes, this homemade dog shampoo recipe is short and simple and extremely cost effective...like less than a $1.00...ah, now I have your attention. ; )

Most of those in my circle of friends and relatives elevate the status of their pet(s) to a higher level than most. This only means they regularly maintain their pet's health and well-being so kitty or doggie are happy, healthy and smell good vs being tied outdoors 24/7 with no water and/or food, collecting fleas and receiving no medical attention while performing guard dog duties (if you know what I mean.)

I make every effort to plan once a month to bathe my two dogs*, Libby Lu Jenkins (on the left) and Ginger, (on the right) followed by their  monthly application of flea and tick treatment. Looking to add more to my want-to-be-more-self-sufficient list, a couple of years ago I experimented with making homemade dog shampoo. Realizing the cost of dog food, vet bills, etc. which are given expenses, why not take a cost savings where possible. I see you agree; now let's get down to business.

THE REAL DEAL

Homemade Dog Shampoo Recipe:

1 Cup Dawn Dish Detergent
1 Cup White Vinegar
1 Quart Warm Water

It's as simple as combining these 3 simple ingredients together in a large bowl and using a funnel to transfer into your preferred storage container(s). The recipe produces approximately 50+ ounces of effective cost-saving dog shampoo one can be proud of. : )

As you can see in this picture, to store my recipe I use an old plastic dog shampoo bottle that I previously purchased a few years ago and poured the remaining recipe in a glass quart canning jar sealed with a plastic screw top that can be purchased at places like Walmart in both pint and quart sizes.

In the past I have used regular scent Dawn in the blue bottle. But, here's the kicker, for enhanced fragrance a Dawn product with Olay Beauty Pomegranate Splash Scent in pink color is now available. The 'Divas" smelled absolutely awesome following their 'Pomegranate' bath and the 'Olay' has their hair silky smooth. Quite impressive!!

I paid $0.99 for the 9 fl. oz. of Dawn, had the white vinegar in the pantry and figured this cost less than $0.02 an ounce. After all was done there was still one ounce of Dawn left in the bottle to use in the kitchen for washing dishes.

I challenge you with this cost savings.
 
Please, by all means, share with me a better, more cost-effective homemade dog shampoo that actually does as good a job; I'm listening...
 

and join me on the band wagon of becoming more self-sufficient.

 
 
* For those who may be curious what breed my girls are I'll share that Libby Lu Jenkins is a Puggle (cross between a Pug and a Beagle) and Ginger is a Jug (cross between a Jack Russell Terrier and a Pug.) For more information regarding their adoption details, please check out my Canine and Feline Companions page.