Homemade Laundry Detergent
Liquid Detergent
Ingredients:
- 1 bar of soap (I use Ivory, but any natural bar of soap will work)
- 1 cup of borax
- 1 cup of washing soda
- 1 bottle of Downy Unstopables *optional*
- 5 gallon bucket
Directions:
- Grate the bar of soap. You can either do it by hand or use your food processor. I'd recommend food processor. It's just soap, so it cleans off very easily.
- Put the grated soap and 2 quarts of water into a pot and gradually heat until the soap is completely dissolved. I usually use medium-high heat so that it doesn't boil. I have an old top loading machine and don't use fabric softener. During this step I like to add a whole bottle of downy unstopables and melt it with the soap and water. I know, not necessarily "natural" now, but I like the smell.
- Fill your 5 gallon bucket with 4.5 gallons of hot water. (If you have a kitchen sprayer, use it. It makes this step a lot easier)
- Mix in your borax and washing soda, stir until it's completely dissolved .
- Add your soap mixture to the bucket and stir very well.
- Cover your bucket and leave it for 24 hours.
- Use 1/2 cup to 1 cup per load.
While it sets for the 24 hours it will have separated. Just use a big spoon and mix it up again. It will also be a little chunky. Don't worry, that is how it's supposed to be. I pour some in an old detergent bottle and shake it right before I go to use some so it is always mixed.
Powder Detergent
Directions:
- Grate the bar of soap.
- Mix 2 cups borax, 2 cups washing soda, and the grated bar of soap.
- Store in a sealed container.
- You can also add Downy Unstopables in the mix, not sure how much you'd need, I only make liquid.
- Use 1/8 cup to 1/4 cup per load.
On a side note, if you cloth diaper, don't use this detergent on your diapers. The bar soap can cause build up and make your diapers repel water.
Baby Wipes / Make-up Remover Wipes
Ingredients:
- 1 container with a lid. I use a 7 cup Rubbermaid container.
- 1 roll of select a size paper towel. I use bounty, and have heard Viva works well too.
- 2 cups of water
- A heaping spoonfull of coconut oil
- A couple squirts of baby wash. OR facewash if you are using them for makeup removing wipes.
Directions:
- Cut your paper towel roll in half using a non-serrated kitchen knife. I suppose you could use serrated knife but you'd have a lot of fuzzies you'd have to try to wipe off.
- Put your heaping spoonfull of coconut oil in a microwave safe bowl and cook until just melted. Usually only takes about 15 seconds or less depending on your microwave and how warm your house is already.
- In a measuring cup add 2 cups of purified, boiled or distilled water. This part is important. If you use just tap water you can easily grow mold in your container. If you chose to boil your water, let it cool down before starting the next step.
- To the water, add your coconut oil and a couple squirts of baby wash. Stir until mixed.
- Pour half of the mixture into the container. Place one half of the paper towel roll in the container and pour the rest on top.
- Push the roll down with the lid and seal it shut.
- Lay it upside down for 5 minutes, then right side up for another 5. After that you can open it and remove the cardboard in the middle and they are ready to use!
If these are too wet for your liking just cut the water down to 1 1/2 or 1 cup total. I started using this recipe with 1 cup and it wasn't enough for me.
Remember that even though these have soap and coconut oil in them, they can still grow mold if you keep them in a dark place. I just keep mine on the changing table and I haven't had a problem as long as I used purified water.
Vinegar
If you are looking to get rid of all of your harsh cleaners, I can't help you. I love cleaning with Lysol or Clorox and leaving my kitchen and bathroom smelling like bleach. Plus I know that I've killed all those nasty little germs and I won't be getting e coli. Maybe someday I'll transition more natural, but that's not happening anytime soon. I do have a couple ways I use vinegar that I can share.
Cleaning the Washing Machine:
I take a rag and drench it with vinegar. With that rag I wipe down everything, inside and out of the washing machine. After that I fill my machine with hot water and add 1 cup of vinegar. I let the water sit for about 30 minutes, then drain it and do a rinse cycle.
Washing my towels:
Do you ever notice after time your towels smell a little musty, even after you wash them? I add maybe 1/2 cup of vinegar to my towels with the detergent (I just pour it in, I don't measure). It makes them smell fresh again with out using bleach or anything harsh!
Cream of "Anything" Soup Substitute
Ingredients:
- 2 cups powdered non-fat dry milk
- 3/4 cup corn starch
- 1/4 cup chicken bouillon
- 2 Tbs dried onion flakes
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
Directions:
Mix together all the ingredients and store in a ziplock bag or sealed container.
To create soup:
- Wisk together 1/3 cup of dry mix with 1 1/4 cups of cold water in a small pan.
- Cook on medium-high heat, stirring frequently until the sauce thickens.
This recipe will make the equivalent of 9, 10oz cans of soup.
There are other food substitutes and ways of making your meals healthier, but I don't feel like getting into that. I just wanted to share this awesome soup recipe. It's cheaper than canned, gluten free, and most of it you probably have on hand at your house anyway. I've been using it for about a month and I haven't noticed a difference in taste in any of my recipes. I've even used it as a sauce on my pasta on one of those "Oh crap, I have nothing to make for dinner" nights.
I'm always searching Pinterest for new "crunchy" ideas. Once I find a few keepers, I'll add more!
