Sometimes I look at the things I'm doing these days and it makes me laugh.
Who would have ever thought that I'd be using cloth diapers on my children or making my own laundry detergent. Yes..you heard right...making my own laundry detergent. Although I'd like to pretend that I'm one of those moms who makes batches of their own organic granola and grows their own veggies in their backyard, I'm totally not. Maybe one day I'll get there. Hopefully.
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| Mya at 12 weeks old--so tiny! |
But for now, I find myself washing cloth diapers, wetting down cloth wipes and now making my own laundry detergent. Makes me laugh thinking about it...but really I love it. It all started by us wanting to save money when we first approached the idea of using cloth diapers, but now I love the fact too that we don't have garbage bags full of dirty diapers that we throw out each week. And here I sit again, looking at the cost of laundry detergent, cringing every time I go to buy another container, so I've finally decided to make my own. I'll let you know in the end if it's worth it or not--but from everything I've read, you basically spend about $18 and you have enough laundry detergent to last you almost a year. Sounds pretty appealing to me.
After searching the web for a good recipe and scanning over the reviews of others, I found a recipe that I liked and decided to give it a try. So Jen and I set out on a warm Tuesday afternoon, with kids in tow, and started the relatively easy and quick process of making our own. You only need a few ingredients, a cheese grater, and a big bucket to store your detergent in and you're all set to go.
I did my first load this morning with it, and I was impressed. My clothes were just as clean as they were with my store bought detergent--but I only used a tiny amount of soap (only 1-2 tbsp per load, since there aren't the fillers that normal detergents contain, so you don't need as much).
Here is what you'll need and how we did it:
The site where I found it is from the US, so just FYI... they don't sell the Arm & Hammer washing soda here in Canada--but the Pure Washing Soda that we bought is the exact same thing. I also chose to leave out the OXI Clean--as it's optional, but feel free to add it if you want.
Here is the site where I found the recipe if you wanted to take a look: http://beingcreativetokeepmysanity.blogspot.ca/2010/11/homemade-laundry-soap.html
Here is what you'll need:
1) Start by grating your soap into fine flakes.
2) Mix the grated soap and all of your other ingredients together and you're done!
TIP #1: Throw all ingredients together in large bucket lined with a plastic grocery bag--we learned the hard way that it's difficult to mix all of the ingredients in the small container that we used.
TIP #2: Make it outside to avoid any mess
That's it! Here's to super cheap detergent with all the laundry we're bound to be doing in the next few weeks (and years!) to come.
****************
And to finish off...here are a few of the things we've been enjoying while waiting for this little baby to make his entrance into the world. I figure if we need to wait impatiently, we may as well enjoy our time together...
1) Every morning as Terry heads off to work Mya says goodbye to her daddy inside, then insists on going out to the porch and waving to him as he drives off. She patiently positions herself on the first step, jammies still on, baby in hand...and says "bye bye" over and over again until his car is no longer in sight. Cutest thing ever.
2) Cleaning our cars out--with a little helper. I love a good clean car.
3) Visiting with really really cute little friends...doesn't get any cuter than baby Agnes.
4) She takes each plate out of the dishwasher so carefully and places each of them in a neatly stacked pile on the floor, waiting for me to pick them up and put them in the cupboard...and although I hold my breath with every movement of those plates, she's never broken one, ever.
5) A morning at Doon Heritage Village with friends on a beautiful Fall day
Here's hoping that this little baby will be here soon!! Been walking every day trying to encourage him to decide to finally come out...but nope..not yet. I'll keep you posted!
After searching the web for a good recipe and scanning over the reviews of others, I found a recipe that I liked and decided to give it a try. So Jen and I set out on a warm Tuesday afternoon, with kids in tow, and started the relatively easy and quick process of making our own. You only need a few ingredients, a cheese grater, and a big bucket to store your detergent in and you're all set to go.
I did my first load this morning with it, and I was impressed. My clothes were just as clean as they were with my store bought detergent--but I only used a tiny amount of soap (only 1-2 tbsp per load, since there aren't the fillers that normal detergents contain, so you don't need as much).
Here is what you'll need and how we did it:
The site where I found it is from the US, so just FYI... they don't sell the Arm & Hammer washing soda here in Canada--but the Pure Washing Soda that we bought is the exact same thing. I also chose to leave out the OXI Clean--as it's optional, but feel free to add it if you want.
Here is the site where I found the recipe if you wanted to take a look: http://beingcreativetokeepmysanity.blogspot.ca/2010/11/homemade-laundry-soap.html
Here is what you'll need:
1 box of Borax (2 kg) found in the detergent aisle (I found it at Value Mart)
3 boxes of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda (500g each) found in the baking aisle of any grocery store (or Dollarama)
7 cups of Pure Washing Soda found at any health food store
3 bars of soap (any kind)--I used Jergens and Jen used Ivory. The site suggests using a special kind of soap, but everyone's reviews suggested that you can actually use any type of bar soap.
A cheese grater (to grate the soap into a fine powder) and you'll need a plastic container to store your detergent
1) Start by grating your soap into fine flakes.
2) Mix the grated soap and all of your other ingredients together and you're done!
TIP #1: Throw all ingredients together in large bucket lined with a plastic grocery bag--we learned the hard way that it's difficult to mix all of the ingredients in the small container that we used.
TIP #2: Make it outside to avoid any mess
That's it! Here's to super cheap detergent with all the laundry we're bound to be doing in the next few weeks (and years!) to come.
****************
And to finish off...here are a few of the things we've been enjoying while waiting for this little baby to make his entrance into the world. I figure if we need to wait impatiently, we may as well enjoy our time together...
1) Every morning as Terry heads off to work Mya says goodbye to her daddy inside, then insists on going out to the porch and waving to him as he drives off. She patiently positions herself on the first step, jammies still on, baby in hand...and says "bye bye" over and over again until his car is no longer in sight. Cutest thing ever.
2) Cleaning our cars out--with a little helper. I love a good clean car.
3) Visiting with really really cute little friends...doesn't get any cuter than baby Agnes.
4) She takes each plate out of the dishwasher so carefully and places each of them in a neatly stacked pile on the floor, waiting for me to pick them up and put them in the cupboard...and although I hold my breath with every movement of those plates, she's never broken one, ever.
5) A morning at Doon Heritage Village with friends on a beautiful Fall day
Here's hoping that this little baby will be here soon!! Been walking every day trying to encourage him to decide to finally come out...but nope..not yet. I'll keep you posted!
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