(Photo Credit)I've decided to change my blog title from Bedrest and Beyond to Natural Mom on a Shoestring. I feel like this new title really fits where I'm at now. I'll still have my same blogger web address, but the pregnancy and bed rest is now behind me. Therefore, I wanted to go with something that encompasses what I'm all about, as well as what I'm aspiring to be. I'm striving to be as natural as I can be within our budget. Although I still have a long way to go, I've started the journey of becoming more mindful of how we treat our bodies and the world around us. As far as we're able, I've been making small changes. After all, I believe that many small changes equal big change.
One of my recent experiments was making my own laundry detergent. Several of my friends have had success doing so, so I decided to take the plunge as well.
You will need:
5-gallon bucket (I used one from our powdered Kirkland laundry soap)
1 bar Fels Naptha soap
1 C Washing Soda (not baking soda- found in laundry aisle)
1 C Borax
fragrance or essential oil, if desired
water
Grate the bar of soap into a large saucepan. Add 4 C water. Heat and stir with a wisk until soap is dissolved. Add washing soda and borax, stirring until dissolved. Pour mixture into bucket and fill with warm/hot tap water. I filled it until about the 4 gallon level, maybe a bit higher. Stir well and cover with lid. Let sit overnight. The mixture will become slightly jelly-like. Once gelled, you can add some of your favorite essential oil or fragrance oil. I added some cinnamon & nutmeg fragrance oil and it smells oh-so-good. Detergent should be shaken or stirred before each use, so putting it into an old fabric softener bottle or laundry soap bottle is a good idea. Use around 1/4 C for each load. You may need a bit more or less depending on your water or how soiled your load is.
Here is my first batch:
I just finished using up my previous laundry soap today, so I'll let you know how well this cleans our clothes. If it cleans well, it's quite the bargain at around $2 per batch. Now, that's frugal!
4 comments:
Hi Becci, I use the same recipe only just grate the F.N. soap & mix together w/ the washing soda and borax and leave it dry. Faster to make. Use about the same: 1/4 cup or less for small loads.
How is this for kiddos with sensitive skin?
Well, I do know several people that use it who have kids with excema, and it seems to be ok. It's worth a try!
It's great for sensitive skin . . . you just use whatever soap you tolerate best. We used Kiss My Face olive-oil based soap and that made it very mild.
I found that the essential oils also helped keep the soap from separating.
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