How to Make Homemade Laundry Detergent

I talk a lot about making my own cleaners here.  There are a lot of reasons to make your own cleaners, but in today's economy, I think the strongest persuasion is the price.  

One of my new favorite cleaners is a DIY natural laundry soap that I found browsing Pintrest.  Not only is this made from earth-friendly ingredients, it's also super cheap, and almost easier than just going to the store to buy detergent.  In fact, I believe once you do the math, it comes out to about .5 a load.  You can't beat that even buying in bulk.

You'll only need three ingredients to make this laundry detergent:

 

1. Borax
2. Fels Naptha Soap (or any other mild soap)
3. Washing Soda-I use Arm and Hammer. 

Even better, I didn't have to go searching for ingredients.  All 3 items were displayed on the same shelf in the laundry section at my local grocery store.

To make this soap, all you need to do is finely grate 1 bar of Fels Naptha soap using a cheese grater.  This took awhile, but maybe I'm just a slow grater! Once you're done with that part, though, you just need to measure out 1 cup of washing soda-it's very important that you get washing soda and not baking soda-and 1 cup of Borax and pour them into the same container as the soap and mix it well.  I put mine in a pretty glass jar, but a plastic Ziplock container works just as well.

Once you've got it mixed well, it's ready to use.  The original instructions I read said to just use 1 tbs for a normal load of laundry, but I found that it cleans better using about 1 1/2.  I also add a splash of distilled vinegar to make my clothes softer.  It certainly helps when you're used to liquid laundry detergent and fabric softener.

I've used about half of my first batch of detergent, so I can honestly say that I love it.  It smells so fresh and clean while it's washing, but when you pull your clothes out, they just smell clean, with no extra scent.  I guess that can be a pro or a con, depending on your preference.  I think on my next batch I'll experiment with adding some essential oils for scent, but otherwise, I can't imagine ever going back to regular detergent again!

Mmmm...Garlic

Who here loves garlic?!

We spent most of yesterday evening harvesting about 30 lbs of garlic with our neighbor (landlord) and get to keep two braids of garlic for ourselves! More if we end up needing it. Gardening sure is rewarding...

Green Cleaning Tip of the Day: Stinky Laundry

Are you like me when it comes to doing laundry? You know, you wake up intent on getting all of the laundry done, and then on that last load everything just falls apart and you get exhausted and just forget to put it in the dryer? Then a few days later you start wondering what that smell is in the laundry room?

What do you do in those situations? I mean, just re-washing them still leaves the clothes with a bit of a musty smell that you don't notice until you get dressed.  I've learned a trick that I think can help!

Now, when I forget that last load of clothes for more than a few hours, I re-run the machine (at least a rinse) with warm water, a splash of distilled white vinegar, and a drop or two of your favorite essential oil-I use Eucalyptus.  Works every time.

Hope this helps someone else like me!

Mint-Eucalyptus Soft Scrub Trial

Ever since I wrote this post, I decided that since I posted so many "recipes" that I'd never tried, I would go through each one and blog about my review of the cleaner.

In all honesty, I have a toddler and a business and lead a very busy life, so please don't expect cleaning posts every week! haha. 

So, in spirit of trying out each of these recipes one by one, last week I gathered all of the supplies and made the mint-eucalyptus soft scrub cleaner listed in the post above.

In case you didn't read that post, or don't remember, here is what I posted about this cleaner:

Eucalyptus-Mint All Purpose Disinfecting Soft Soap for Kitchen and Bath:


Erica says,"This soap can be used for dishes, handwashing, floors, stoves, refrigerators, sinks, and hands. It's mild to the skin but effective enough to get cleaning jobs done. The eucalyptus and mint provide a disinfecting quality as well as a fresh scent; any areas washed with this soap will be undesirable to crawling insects and flies. They'll stay away for quite a while."


5 cups grated castile soap
1/2 cup baking soda
1 teaspoon borax
6 cups hot peppermint tea
1 tsp eucalyptus essential oil


Put grated soap into a 3-quart stainless steel saucepan and add hot mint tea. Simmer for fifteen minute on low heat. Add baking soda, borax, and eucalyptus oil. Store in a labeled plastic jug or squirt bottle. Shake before using.

 So, here's my story on this cleaner.  I bought all of the ingredients-which took me several days because I couldn't find castile soap anywhere! If you are as lost as I was, try looking with soaps!  I only bought 3 bars which turned out to be about 4.5 cups grated. Not bad.  Everything else was fairly easy to find, and I had most of it on-hand already.

The cleaner was fairly easy to make, and made my kitchen smell uh-mazing.  Eucalyptus and mint has always been a scent combination that I love so I knew I would love the smell.  The castile soap added it's own very clean scent to the mix and it was just lovely.

I have to start out by explaining that I honestly did not know what a soft scrub was!  The mixture seemed just as thin and water-y as my normal vinegar solution so I tried putting a small amount in a spray bottle and sprayed down all of my counter-tops. Well, I attempted to at least. I got about half way through spraying and the nozzle started clogging up and that's about when I realized my mistake.  I decided to just wipe down everything I'd already done and go from there.  This whole time I was using the solution as a normal spray solution, and realized once I was "done" that I did it totally wrong.  In case you are like me and didn't know, You have to use water with soft scrubs!!!  I had to go back over the entire kitchen rinsing off the counters, but -oh boy- was it shiny and good-smelling when I was done!

The thing that drew me most to this cleaner was the boast that ants and crawling insects do not like the smell and will stay away for awhile.  It's spring here in Northwest Washington and let's just say that ants are inevitable.  My desire to find a way to keep them out of my house without using poisons is a pretty strong desire so this cleaner really excited me.  Unfortunately, the ants I had just gotten rid of the previous week came back with a vengeance only hours after I finished cleaning. They have yet to go away.  Looks like I'll be breaking out the poison again.

Despite the ants and the misunderstanding about the uses of soft scrub, I do still like this soap.  Yesterday I tried it out again in the main bathroom and I think this will become our regular bathroom cleaner now. It was easy to use with running water right there, I felt that it got everything very clean, and -as I've mentioned before- the smell is just delicious.

Over-all, I would say this cleaner is definitely worth the effort.  It makes quite a bit, so really it is much cheaper than the cleaners you can buy in the store.  It also has multiple uses which is great. Have I mentioned the smell? 

Have you tried this cleaner yet? What were your experiences with it?

Addie, Look at Your Garden Grow

Addie, have you seen your garden today?

You planted this garden.  You put the seeds in the ground and patted the dirt around them.  You help Daddy every day to water the garden.

Your work is paying off, Addie! Did you see your garden grow?

Soon we'll eat our own lettuce...

..and  strawberries..

...And maybe even corn!

Addie, look at your garden grow!

How To Make Green Cleaning Products

It's that time of year again...the dreaded (for some) spring cleaning.

This year, instead of spending all of that money on commercial cleaning products-and subjecting yourself and your family to the harsh chemicals in those bottles-maybe you want to try some home-made, non-toxic cleaners that get the job done without all of the negative side effects.

Now, you may be asking, "why? Why should I 'fix something that ain't broken?"

I'll tell you why.  Just like I said above, to eliminate the harsh chemicals.  Chemicals like bleach are not necessary for your average household on a regular basis.  In fact, these chemicals contain harsh toxins that aren't good for you, your children, or the people that come into your home.  I won't go into all of the scientific proof on this (because honestly, it's long & boring & I know it didn't change my mind on it's own), but there is a reason the label says "Use in a well ventilated area".

I know how weird it can feel switching to green cleaners, and how you can feel that maybe it doesn't clean your house as well because it doesn't have the well-known name or that fresh scent.  Trust me.  I mean, I just made the switch a year ago while trying to ease Addison's discomfort with Eczema.  I was really worried about dis-infecting and knowing everything was clean and germ free.  I mean, that's what they breed into our heads! It can't be clean if you don't buy cleaner and anti-bacterial products, right?!

Wrong.

Here, I'm going to share several recipes for green cleaners.  Some have been tried by me and some have been sent to me by readers that are hoping to help out.

All Purpose Cleaners:


My personal favorite:
1/2 cup of white vinegar
2-4 drops of eucalyptus or tea tree essential oil (it's very important to get essential oil, not scented oil)
2 (ish) liters of water
1 tbs lemon juice
1/4 cup baking soda

Mix all of these ingredients together in a spray bottle and shake.  I use this cleaning solution in the kitchen, bathrooms, and even occasionally on the floor (although you should be careful as certain floors require special care).  Although you expect a vinegar based cleaner to smell strongly of vinegar, my house does not.  You may smell vinegar while cleaning (although the oil will cut down on that), but the smell quickly goes away.

Be very careful, because this solution does foam!

Erica's Powder Cleaner Base #1
2 cups baking soda
1 tbs Borax
1/2 cup shredded natural soap

Erica says "Having a bottle of White Vinegar on hand works great for those hard to clean areas as it makes the cleaner foam and warm up a bit and boost the cleaning to get rid of the soap scum build up that happens especially in the tub. I use my gloves when I have heavy duty cleaning to do like this. I like to make a paste with the powder cleaner and rub on the surface that needs cleaning and then spray with the Vinegar and rub it a bit more, allow it to set for a while and then rinse away. Another application might be necessary for those areas that do not clean up easily. [It] can be used in the powder form or added to some hot water to make a paste for washing surfaces, along with any of the Essential Oils you like. The amount of water used in not listed as some might like more than others so you can judge what you like best. A nice rubbing paste works great for counters, refrigerators, etc.

Here are her recommended essential oil combos for this cleaner (and her Powder Cleaner Base #2 which will be listed further below):

1 tsp. Sweet Orange Essential Oil
OR
3/4 tsp. Sweet Orange Essential Oil
1/4 tsp. Lavender Essential Oil
OR
3/4 tsp. Sweet Orange Essential Oil
1/4 tsp. Tea Tree Essential Oil
OR
3/4 tsp. Sweet Orange Essential Oil
1/4 tsp. Spearmint Essential Oil
OR
3/4 tsp. Sweet Orange Essential Oil
1/4 tsp. Pine Essential Oil 

 Eucalyptus-Mint All Purpose Disinfecting Soft Soap for Kitchen and Bath:

Erica says,"This soap can be used for dishes, handwashing, floors, stoves, refrigerators, sinks, and hands. It's mild to the skin but effective enough to get cleaning jobs done. The eucalyptus and mint provide a disinfecting quality as well as a fresh scent; any areas washed with this soap will be undesirable to crawling insects and flies. They'll stay away for quite a while."

 5 cups grated castile soap

1/2 cup baking soda

1 teaspoon borax

6 cups hot peppermint tea

1 tsp eucalyptus essential oil 

Put grated soap into a 3-quart stainless steel saucepan and add hot mint tea.  Simmer for fifteen minute on low heat.  Add baking soda, borax, and eucalyptus oil.  Store in a labeled plastic jug or squirt bottle.  Shake before using. 

Bathroom Scrubs:

Being on a budget (like I am), I really love using Borax in the bathrooms as a scrub.  Grist did an article testing 8 green cleaning bathroom products, and Borax won me over just as much as the writer of the article.  It's not no scrub, but it does the best job I've ever seen in my tub and shower.

Erica's Powder Cleaner Base #2-A scrubbing base for the tub, sinks, or to scrub any surface that needs scrubbing:

2 cups baking soda

1/4 cup orange or lemon peel (finely powdered)

1 tbs Borax

1/2 cup shredded natural soap

Erica says, "It is best to take the dried Natural Soap and powder it down in the food processor a bit in order to get it to mix in the powder mixture better."

De-odorizers and Air Fresheners

The most simple, effective, and budget-friendly way of deodorizing your carpet while vacuuming is to sprinkle baking soda or Borax on your carpet before vacuuming.  It offers a fresh scent and eliminates odors in your carpet. 

If you have tougher odors, or just want a more noticeable smell, you can also mix in your favorite Essential Oil before sprinkling it onto the carpet.

Like a fresh smelling home?  There are so many ways to freshen the air in your home.  Some simple solutions include simmering cinnamon or other spices with water on the stove, keeping fresh coffee grounds on the counter, and baking soda. 

Do you like those gel air fresheners you can buy in the stores?  You can make one yourself!


1 packet unflavored Knox gelatin
3/4 c water
1/4 c vodka
1-2 tbs fragrance oil
food coloring as desired


Dissolve the gelatin in boiling water.  Allow to cool at room temp then add the vodka, coloring, and scent. Pour into a decorative jar and refrigerate until set.


I hope some of these cleaners help get you started on the road to a greener, less toxic lifestyle.  There are many, many, many more recipes for cleaners, and as you get more comfortable with the idea of making your own, you'll find that you like different mixtures.  

Keep these key ingredients handy and remember to use them when making your own cleaners:

White Distilled Vinegar
Water
Baking Soda
Borax
Lemon Juice
Essential Oils
Natural Soap


If you would like to do more research on this topic yourself, here are some great sites I recommend.  Some of the information in this post has at one  point or another, been learned from these sites as well:
1001 Uses For Vinegar
The Daily Green-Spring Cleaning
Green Cleaning Resources
EarthEasy Non Toxic Solutions
Uses for Essential oils
Article on bathroom cleaners

I would also like to send out a big thank you to Erica over at Goddess Of Cooking for sending over her recipes, tips, and tricks to include in this blog post.

Happy Cleaning!
 

Earth Day and Green Living

Image found browsing Google Images

Earth day seems especially important this year. It's on everyone's mind.  Seeing as how the Earth is trying to shake us off like a wet dog lately, I can see why taking better care of our planet is more of a top priority this year than ever before.

There are many things you can do to live a greener life.  Most of them are really pretty simple and can even save you money.  That sounds like a no-brainer to me, especially in this economy!

I'm going to tell you about these few simple steps to green up your life, and hopefully you can learn a bit from my post.  I hope to continue posts like these, and share a few tips at a time, so as not to overwhelm anyone just starting to think about this life style.  Baby steps, my friends. Baby steps.

The first (and simplest) thing you can do to live a greener life is to use re-usable grocery totes.  These days you can find them in most grocery stores for a really great price.  Most stores even give you a small discount for each re-usable tote that you use to replace a paper or plastic bag.  We usually get .05 off per bag, and on a big grocery run, that can add up.  It's not a lot, but if you do it every time, you'll even save money on groceries.  Plus, just think of all the plastic bags you'll be saving from the dump!  Those days that we do forget our re-usable totes, we make sure to re-use our plastic bags.  We use them for small trash bags, cleaning out the cat litter box, and for disposable diapers while we are out in public.

Another way to go green is to cut down on driving.  I know this sounds very daunting to many of you, but really, there are many ways you can do this.  Car pooling to work or play dates, walking to the corner coffee house, or riding your bike to the park are all ways to cut back on your driving.  A bonus is the money you will save on gas! See, didn't I tell you many of these would save you money?!

My absolute favorite way to live a more eco-friendly life is to use green cleaning products.  There are many options depending on your level of commitment.  The easiest and most convenient way to do this is to buy products from the store that are green.  Many brands now offer green lines that are more eco-friendly.  While I prefer to make my own cleaners so I know exactly what goes into them (with Addie this is a priority of mine), buying from these brands increases the demand, and boosts the support of these brands, encouraging more green products, and hopefully spreading the word to more and more buyers that green is the way to go!  If you are interested in making your own cleaners, there are several sites dedicated to green cleaning that can give you a recipe for any life style! The bonus to making your own cleaners is that most of them can be made with products already in your house!
My favorite cleaning products are white vinegar, lemon juice, eucalyptus oil, Borax, Baking Soda, and water.  All things I keep in my house anyway.  Keep your eyes peeled for a post dedicated to making your own cleaners if you're interested.

Lastly, Buying local or growing your own produce is great for the environment and your local economy.  Willie and I have been buying produce from the local stand near our apartment for two years now.  It's fresh, it's tasty, and it's even cheaper for us to buy there than the grocery store.  While the produce may not be organic, it's at least not shipped in from other places in the country (or the world) to sit in my grocery store.  I always find a better selection of fresh fruits and veggies at the produce stand than I do in most stores.  We've moved this year and can't visit the same produce stand, but luckily, our landlords are big into gardening, and even started a second community garden right in our front yard!  I can't wait for it to all start growing.  For anything we can't get in our front yard, we'll visit the produce stand down the road or the local farmers market once a week for the freshest selection.

I hope my tips help someone to lead a greener, more environmentally friendly lifestyle.  We all need to do our part to take care of our home, before our home has had enough.

Pint-Sized Cleaning Help: Another Point for the Green Team

Ahh, cleaning.  The foul stench of bleach, the cracked and blistering skin from the use of harmful chemicals.  Struggling to keep my daughter out of the bathroom while I scrub so she doesn't breath in harmful fumes...wait.  That doesn't sound so nice, does it?

That's right! It doesn't! And that's why I don't do it that way anymore.  In fact, Addie helped me scrub down the bathroom last week during a cleaning frenzy.  We bonded.  I cleaned.  She played with the dust pan.  I didn't worry once that she was breathing in harmful fumes or that she would touch the cleaning container that had a splash of bleach on the side. Nope.  We just had a good time.

Don't get me wrong, it's not like I let her play with the rag I was scrubbing with or anything, but it was nice to sit there and talk to her while I scrubbed without worrying about her touching anything. And you know what? I don't think my bathroom has ever looked cleaner, nor has cleaning the bathroom ever gone more smoothly!

Granted, I have been using green cleaners for over a year now, but we've still been weeding out the few chemicals that we have had stocked up under our sinks.  I just can't waste. To me that is even less green than using the bleach.  I've been scrubbing Addie's bathroom with Method cleaners and vinegar ever since we moved here for fear that I wouldn't rinse the tub out well enough, but I continued using my bleach-based cleaners on our bathroom to use them up.  Finally we made it!  No harsh chemicals, a clean bathroom, a happy toddler, and money saved on cleaning supplies*.  What more could I ask for?

* Apparently Borax is an amazing bathroom cleaner! It's also cheap, multi-purpose, eco-friendly, and something I already keep  on hand.  Gotta love it.

Mother's Intuion=My Intuition

Mother's intuition...I used to make fun of my mother for using this term.  I laughed and said she didn't have superpowers, she just had eyes in the back of her head.

Ahhh...the things that change when we become mothers ourselves.

I feared I would not have this so-called mother's intuition.  That I was a hack.  Wasn't made out to have children.  That I would fail.  These past few weeks, I have finally come into my own as a mother.  I found my confidence, and along with it, my intuition.

I feel like, this past year has been full of me asking questions to friends and having those questions answered as advice.  Really it seemed no one had confidence in me, therefore, I had no confidence in myself.  In my intuition.  Everywhere I turned I had people telling me the best way to do things.  I was given advice and direction on decisions that should have been completely personal, such as letting my daughter cry in her crib, what kind of diapers to use, and how to react to a temper-tantrum.

I know, I know..every new mother and old mother alike deal with this issue...complete strangers telling you how to dress your child or how to get them off the pacifier.   Unfortunately, I did not really deal with this situation from strangers on the streets.  I dealt with this situation from my friends. From my family.  From every person I came in contact with during day-to-day life.

I began to feel that I could not ask a parenting question as a conversation starter or to get ideas, because instead of a conversation, I would receive a lecture on why their way was right.  To be honest, I don't care how you feel your parenting skills are.  You aren't a better mother than me.  Maybe you are a better mother to your children, but not to mine.

Many issues have made our situation different than some other parents.  Addie has extremely sensitive skin, and spent the first 8 months of her life hidden under a mask of Eczema before we figured out the perfect environment and skin-care regimen for her.  Unless you have dealt with the same issue, I don't need advice on what cleaners are best for the bathtub, or which baby soap smells the best.  We can't use them.

Unless you have gone through being told that your baby is on the verge of starving-not thriving, not meeting milestones, not gaining weight-I don't need to be told by you that breast is best.  In our situation, it wasn't in the long run. I don't need to be told that it is normal for growth to slow down...it's not normal for growth and development to stop completely so that statement has no merit.  I also don't need to be told by you how much my daughter should eat or in what form she should eat it.  I ensure that she eats a healthy, balanced diet and discuss my questions with her pediatrician,  who has been there every step of the way  watching her growth and development with us.

What works best for everyone else is great.  It does not work best for us in most cases.  Some call me green, some call me crunchy, or hippie.  I just call myself concerned, and aware.  I am concerned for only my family.  I am aware of how our environment affects our daughter, and even us.  It all boils down to the fact that we are all a little different.  We should be able to parent that way without judgment, without instructions, and most definitely with support from our friends and family, regardless of how different our decisions may be.

I guess the point of this post is to say that I am finally in that place where I can say all of this.  I no longer strive to make everyone else see that I am a good mother.  I know I am.  I no longer freak out and call on a friend when something happens that I am unfamiliar with.  I finally trust my mother's intuition.  I had it all along.  I just needed to find it.  I did that in the most unexpected way.  I did it by turning away from my friends-my support.  By turning away from the books and articles.  I did it by focusing 100% on my family and our situation...not yours.

It ain't easy being Green...

In case you didn't know, there is a huge movement these days called "going green" or "crunchy" or "new age hippie". I have been called all of these things, and I have only been what you would consider "green" since becoming pregnant and realizing I shouldn't clean with bleach. This was a rough adjustment for me in the very beginning. I did not believe that I could clean with vinegar, and that it would kill germs just as much as any harsh cleanser. I started out by buying cleansers that claimed to be green, or eco-friendly. Eventually, I gained confidence in this lifestyle, and embraced vinegar and all of it's many uses. I now use almost all eco-friendly products, because if I can help our environment, even just a l ittle, why shouldn't I?

Alas, I did say "almost all" products I use are eco-friendly. It's not always easy being green. Despite my best efforts otherwise, I have had to resort to using poison in my home, around my daughter and my pets in order to attempt the elimination of ants in my home. I did try various "green"-or poison free in this instance- attempts at getting rid of our pesky friends, but none of them worked. Ahh, the joys of apartment living in it's finest.

I sprayed ant poison all throughout our kitchen, under the baseboards, around the edges of the counter, under the appliances, the works. I sucked it up and did this thinking it was my last resort. It didn't work. I woke up to ants swarming the drain in my kitchen, where I had put some fruit down the garbage disposale yesterday. They were also feasting on the cat food, and the one grain of rice left on the counter last night. Is it me, or was the poison not worth it?

We are now getting ready to head out to the store, yet again, and get a different poison that everyone swears will work. Even better? I get to dip this poison onto toothpicks and pieces of cardboard and scatter them around the kitchen, making sure to keep my daughter and our cats out of that area until I can get rid of said toothpicks and pieces of cardboard. It isn't easy being green. Especially when getting rid of pesky insects.