This is how we (uh, I) do laundry

If you Google "home made laundry detergent" you will get thousands of hits that will lead you to blog posts just like this. I had heard of making your own laundry soap but I figured it was too hard and Travis would think I was crazy. One night while watching 17 Kids and Counting (I LOVE this show) the family explained how they save money by making their own laundry detergent. Travis actually thought this was a great idea and wanted to know if I had ever considered it. I had but I thought it was too time consuming and storage takes up a ton of room. I also need a laundry detergent that leaves no residue (no brighteners, no softeners) or it will ruin the cloth diapers. Finally, I really doubted that it saved any money.

When the kids on the show were making the laundry detergent they were making a liquid version. I don't really like liquid detergent and every recipe I have seen requires boiling water, lots of water and a five gallon bucket to store it in. Um....no. I had my nice Charlie's Soap that was cleaning all my clothes/diapers well with no residue, no fragrance, no need for fabric softener and it was non-toxic. Would I be able to find a powder version of the home made stuff that does all these things? I scoured the internet and found a recipe. Basically it was all the ingredients of the liquid version, no water added and no boiling required. Yes!

Home made laundry detergent
1/2 bar Fels-Naptha laundry soap or Zote laundry soap or 1 bar Ivory soap
1 cup washing soda
1/2 cup borax

*Unwrap the bar of soap and leave it alone for a few hours to dry out. Over night would be best.
*Grate one half of the bar of soap (I cut mine up into chunks and tossed it in the food processer) save the other half for the next batch .
*Mix the grated soap with the washing soda and borax (I tossed all three into the food processer to get a really finely mixed powder).
*Use one tablespoon for regular loads and two for extra dirty loads. Makes about 40 loads.

Here is the double batch I made, stored in an old baby formula can.

Pretty. The scooper is from Charlie's Soap you could totally use the scoop that comes with the formula.
So, now I'm sure you've got some questions.

What the heck are these ingredients? Where do you even find them? Fels-Naptha can be found at Winco for $1.07 a bar, Zote can be found at my nearby Target for $0.97 and Ivory can be found anywhere for $1. You can actually use any soap you like, castile soap is popular, as long as it does not have moisturizers. You want plain Jane soap. Fels-Naptha and Zote are specifically made for laundry so I personally stick with those. Fels-Naptha has a strong pine scent that does not transfer to the clothes, they all come out smelling like...nothing. The Zote has a clean smell but again, the clothes come out smelling like nothing. Here's what they look like.
Borax. I used 20 Mule Team Borax because it was the easiest to find, this was $3 for 76oz at Winco. More info on Borax here. Basically, it acts as a cleaner/brightener.
Washing soda. Probably the most elusive of the three because it often is confused with baking soda. Washing soda is sodium carbonate while baking soda is sodium bicarbonate. One molecule, big difference. Washing soda info here. This acts as a grease cutter and deodorizer. I found mine at Winco in the laundry section for $2.58 for 55oz. I read that it can be found with the pool supplies and is called "Soda Ash."

Is is clean rinsing? Yes. It leaves no residue which is why it's safe to use on cloth diapers. Any residue buildup from cleaners, diaper rash ointment or fabric softener will cause cloth diapers to repel moisture causing leaks. This is why I'm so adamant about clean rinsing detergents.

What do your clothes smell like after you wash them? Nothing. Clean. Even poopy diapers? Yup.

What about fabric softener? We don't use it at all. I will pour white vinegar ($2.19 for a gallon) into the fabric softener dispenser for a good clean rinse. Do you smell like vinegar? Nope, it does not leave a vinegar smell. Are you crazy? A little. Travis says I'm a lot crazy. What about static cling? Doesn't happen. Are your clothes crunchy when you line dry them you crazy hippy? Nope.

What about HE washers? It's perfect for HE washing machines because it doesn't suds up (Travis is looking over my shoulder saying "It should be 'sud up'." Whatever). I'd recommend the liquid version for the HE washer though.

Does it work in cold water? Yes. The only thing I wash in hot water is diapers and everything washed in cold comes out clean.

What about white clothes? I totally admit to using bleach (bad Monica!). I bleach my whites every fourth or fifth wash. I have heard of whites looking gray after using this detergent for a while but those folks also had really hard water. Also, most commercial detergents have optical brighteners which are basically these tiny particle dyes that cling to your clothes when you wash them. They absorb UV light causing clothes to look brighter even if they aren't. Something like that. Google it. You're clothes probably aren't as white as you think they are.

Some people toss in Oxy Clean but I don't really like it. Something to think about.

What's the cost? Do you really save money? The Charlie's Soap I was using was costing me $0.19 per load, this does not include shipping. I looked on Amazon and found the cheapest laundry detergent they offered, it worked out to be $0.22 per load. Tide was up around $0.27 per load. I have no clue what laundry detergent costs locally because I haven't bought since we started using Charlie's a year ago. The home made laundry detergent using the recipe above costs $0.03 per load. That's not a typo, it costs three pennies a load.

Is it good for the environment? Yes and no. It's better than most commecial detergents since it has minimal chemicals, it's non-toxic and it's clean rinsing so those with allergies/sensitivities can use it. It's not perfect, borax can be toxic if consumed in large quantities or left on the skin since it has a pH of around 9. I'm pretty sure Fels-Naptha can't be too kind on the old GI tract either.

I think I covered it. Leave any other questions in the comments.

It's cold outside

I love the fog. It's makes everything seem so....still. The snow gives me the same feeling but since it doesn't snow here the fog will have to do. Our fireplace actually gives off heat so we've been turning it on in the morning and evening. Jack stares at the flames, all the animals love to lay in front of it or stare at it. Unfortunately, it's freezing in my sewing room. I have managed to knock out a few things one being Jack's new favorite blanket.
Fleece lined with striped flannel. I still need to add velcro, right now I'm holding it shut with diaper pins. Thank you Joann for have huge fleece remnants in your pile so I don't have to pay full price. I picked up black, beige, dark gray, lime green, green and pink fleece all at a discount simply because they were remnants. I also happened to be there when Simplicity patterns were $1.99. Score!

Speaking of patterns I tried to make my own by simply measuring Jack and transferring it to paper.

If you can't tell I was trying to make Jack a pair of overalls. I didn't know what to make the pattern out of. Travis' mom had told me that she used to make patterns out of newspaper but I wanted to trace it out with pencil and the print would have made it hard to see. I opted for using a paper bag.
Sadly, they didn't work out. Boo.

Next up on the machine is a lamb (as in, stuffed animal) for a pregnant co-worker who is the sweetest thing ever. I'm thinking about using my pink fleece to make a wrap blanket for her but I need to look for coordinating flannel. I'm also wondering if my two pregnant friends would like a wrap blanket along with the Moby wrap I'm buying them. I know one could use it since she lives in Maine but the other already has a Miracle wrap, I think.

I'm also trying to learn how to knit, it seems like a good thing to do while vegging out in front of the TV. That way I can be productive and a slacker at the same time. I imagine it something like "Travis, can't you see I'm making you a pair of socks while watching The Girls Next Door? I can't possibly stop to cook you dinner/change Jacks's diaper/wash dishes..." Yesssssss, that would be nice.

I'm not gonna lie, I'm totally envious of what the Jollyewe can do with a pair of knitting needles. I don't think I'll be as good as she is nor do I think I'll be spinning my own yarn but it would be nice to bust out some socks, a hat or little sweater for the kid.

Now for the obligatory Jack pictures since that's why you're here. First, look how long he's getting!
Next, bathtime. Ignore the death grip I have on his arm. If I drop him in the sink Travis will kill me.

And finally, Jack meeting his Great Grandpa Gerry on Thanksgiving.

Great Grandpa's are cool.

Cheap, frugal, penny pincher, tightwad....

Whatever you want to call it I've (we've?) decided to cut wayyyyyy back on what we spend and how much trash we produce. I started thinking about this, not very seriously, back when I was pregnant. When the economy began to tank in a big way I decided to jump into action. By reading the frugality area of what Travis calls the crazy mom boards I was directed to this bookThis by no means is a "Do this plan and all your problems will be solved" kind of book. There are tons of tips, ticks and how-to's but a huge part about it is to make frugalty a mindset, a habit. She encourages her readers to think about their individual situation and apply frugalty to their lives to attain their goals. I love this book. When I first got it, I thumbed though it like I do magazines and the like. Now I'm pouring over this book like I'm studing for a test (maybe even harder than I studied!). If you look at my copy of the book it's highlighted in various sections and has a ton of paperclips marking pages for easy access. Now I'm not gonna start fixing shoes with dental floss (a real tip from a reader!) but I'm all about the cheap and easy recipes. I took this book over to Travis' Mom's house for Thanksgiving and didn't even get to read it because everyone else was. I would totally recommend this book to anyone who is serious about cutting back, saving, getting out of debt and consuming less. Don't ask to borrow my copy, I'm not letting this thing out of my sight. You can look at it while your at my house but before your leave I'm checking your bag! Better yet, check it out yourself at the local library.