What is new in life? We had an AMAZING time with Derek while he was home on R&R…the boys loved having Daddy home and spent a lot of guy time in the garage wrenching on the dirt bike and quad. Derek and I took a weekend to go riding in at the OK sand dunes and we spent a lot of time just chilling as a family. It was so nice having him home and hard to see him go back, but he should be home this fall so we are looking forward to that! We have been staying pretty busy and when we are home we are working in the yard or the tiny “garden” we planted. So far so good and we’re getting some beans right now…it is getting too hot for the peas, cabbage, and lettuce to grow like they did at first…and the tomatoes are suffering a little, if I leave for a weekend I come back to some angry drying plants. It’s amazing how complicated gardening can get…I’m debating right now if they have blight or not. Wish my Grandma Frederking was her…she was a master gardener and would know what to do.
The biggest excitement of late is the new retractable clothesline…I had to install it and that was an adventure…apparently pretreated lumber really gets hard after drying in the sun a few years…so Derek is a drill bit short now and some screws have made permanent homes in our fence. All in all…I was still super excited to get it put up and start using it. It has only been a few weeks but I really like it….first thing I washed and hung was sheets! I realize after a couple of these pioneer woman type posts you think I’ve gone off the deep end…but I assure you I’m still semi-sane and just becoming more contentious of what my family and I use, the chemicals I use around us, and how I can improve our overall consumption. Originally I wouldn’t of ever thought to get a clothesline…but after seeing how great the cloth diapers looked (WHITE!) after an afternoon of drying on a rack outside, I thought hmmm bet my dingy socks and tshirts would look much better w/ some sun power. This lead me to a bit of research online and the perks of a clothesline started to accumulate. I can save half off my energy bill by just using a clothesline? Hmm…and my house doesn’t get warmer bc I’m using the dryer? Saves on cooling (hence energy bill)…I don’t need a static reducer/softener? It’s better on my fabrics? Hmm…ok I’ll give it a go.
So I have now embarked on the journey of a healthier laundry system. I started using my own laundry soap about a month and half ago…it was super easy to make and get this….it costs between .01-.05 cents a LOAD. Considering Tide/Gain/Era costs between .20-.25 cents per load…SUPER savings and there are no additives, perfumes, dyes, etc. It’s 100% natural (and still smells CLEAN)! It is suppose to be safe for high efficiency washers/dryers although I haven’t used them in any since we have a top load. So far so good w/ no buildup or stiff clothes…I’m not sure if it is wishful thinking but I haven’t been pretreating as much and the clothes still come out clean, maybe even cleaner than they did when I used Tide. I’ll post the recipe below along with several other homemade cleaners I use around the house. I really encourage people to try some of them…they work really well, are 100% natural, super cheap, and because you can reuse and use less containers you’re wasting less time recycling or hauling trash to the dumpster. I also have freed myself up at the store and the coupon clipping past time…If I don’t buy a lot of packaged cleaners/house hold items…I spend far less time shopping for deals, clipping the coupons, and going down aisle at the store. (So long Walmart!) Compare that to making them it is a HUGE savings…not to mention I control what goes into them and the chemicals around my family.
If you Google homemade cleaners you will get a ton of results/blogs about this…there are lots of different recipes and you may have to tweak the amount you use because of your water (hard/soft). So don’t give up right away if you decide to try any. These are the recipes I have found work best for us…I really had to experiment with how much dish detergent to use because it was causing a film on the dishes…I ended up adding vinegar to the bottom before starting and since then haven’t had any problems.
First, some clarification:
WASHING Soda is not BAKING soda although it is generally packaged by Arm & Hammer, it can be found in the laundry area, the only store I can find it at is Dillons in our area...but I know TrueValue/Ace will order it in. It comes in a yellow vs. orange box usually.
I mix the cleaning products as needed, usually every month and a half or two, I need to refill. I just keep a small cont. of the Baking Soda and a storage cont. of the Borax in my cleaning caddy, an old Dawn cont. of vinegar, along w/ the spray bottles of glass and all purpose cleaners. I buy a lot of vinegar but not much surprisingly of the borax/washing soda, etc.
I don’t always measure…don’t be anal and waste time measuring out some of this stuff (toilet cleaner)…just throw it in and go. I follow recipes…MOST of the time J
Dishwasher Detergent:
Equal parts Borax and Washing Soda (I suggest starting small…I haven’t made any in over a year and I made half a quart sized container!!)
For my machine…I use ½ a TBSP w/ 1/4-1/2 cup of Vinegar
SIDENOTE: Since it has been around a year since I bought Cascade or another dishwasher detergent I checked the price at Walmart...Cascade powder was $6.98 a box. Ouch...this recipes is PENNIES per load.
Laundry Detergent: There are tons of recipes for this including liquid…personally I don’t have the room to store a 5 gallon bucket of the stuff or the desire to stir it before using…so powder it is.
2 c. Borax
2 c. Washing Soda
1 bar Fels Naptha soap (grated) I have heard of people using Dove, Ivory, Zote, or there is a all natural Peppermint kind I can’t remember the brand name (bet that would smell good).
I prefer to use the food processor to grate the bar very fine, then I add in the Borax and Washing Soda. MIX well…it will almost start to look like crumbs when its properly combined, you will be loving the food processor at this point.
Use 1 even tablespoon w/ ½ cup vinegar to your rinse per load. You can add the vinegar to your machine rinse/softener feature or use a downy ball. The vinegar smell goes away upon drying...so have no fear you will not smell like a pickle.SIDENOTE: I haven't truly researched the environmental impact or health concerns fabric softeners/sheets cause but I have heard static that they aren't good. The US is the only country that actually uses them (supposedly) and most people don't consider them necessary. If you're really worried about strong scented laundry (bc that is what keeps me up at night?!) you can purchase some essential oils from the craft or health food store and add that to the detergent when mixing. Maybe design your own scent?
Windows/Glass Cleaner:
I’m sure you’ve all heard of this one.
Equal parts water and vinegar in a spray bottle. Flat cloth diapers are excellent cloths to clean with so if you have any old ones you may of used for burp clothes or dipes…use them!
Bathroom/All Purpose Cleaner:
Start w/ a spray bottle (recycled or new)
2 Tbsp. Borax
2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
Fill half way w/ vinegar
Fill the rest of the way w/ water (warm is best to dissolve Borax)
This is safe for showers, toilets, glass, chrome, marble, etc etc…it is my go to cleaner. The lemon juice disinfects or you could use hydrogen peroxide afterwards, vinegar also has disinfecting properties.
Toilet Bowl Cleaner:
Sprinkle 1-2 Tbsp. baking soda into the bowl, move/scrub around w/ brush.
Add ¼ c. vinegar and scrub or let sit. I like to use an old dawn dish detergent bottle to “squirt” the vinegar around the edge.
Tub Scrub (or sink, etc etc etc scrub):
Mix equal parts (3 Tbsp) borax and baking soda in a bowl, add 1 tsp. lemon juice…mix into a paste, adding water until desired consistency. I prefer mine thick at first and can use the shower to add water. I have a textured shower floor in our master and it is a headache to get the gunk out of the very bottom but this works better than the Comet I've tried.
There you have it...hope some of you take advantage of this EASY and ECONOMICAL solution to some of the harsh cleaners out on the market (or the overpriced natural ones). Good luck, I'd love to hear if any of you try them or if you have any questions I can try to help!
