I've never been a big fan of cooking or being in the kitchen. I was the tomboy that would be outside with the men in my family. I left the cooking to my mom and sister. Lately, I'm finding myself more interested in what the kitchen has to offer but in a unique way. I recently stumbled upon a magazine that suits my interests quite well. There are edible recipes in this magazine; however, I am more interested in the non-edible recipes--homemade soaps. I found the recipe for an alternative to laundry detergent and pre-wash stain spray. Making this washing powder helped bide my time while I was waiting patiently to order my CP (cold process) soap supplies.For the stain spray:
1/2 c. white vinegar
1/4 c. baking soda
3 c. water
Add to spray bottle. Shake before each use.
Here's the recipe for Simple Washing Powder (www.naturalhomemagazine.com):
*this makes enough for 4 people for an entire year!
16 c. baking soda
12 c. Borax
8 c. grated castile/glycerin soap (fyi: 2 cups grated castile = 1 bar)
3 T. essential oil (lavender, lemon, grapefruit)
Combine baking soda, borax and soap flakes. Add essential oil and mix with wire wisk.
Use 1/8 cup per load.
So, how much are you saving? Please Note: I split the recipe in half.
Here's the breakdown:
- Kirk's Castile Soap. $3.49 per 3-bar pack. Finding Kirk's was fun. It was at the VERY bottom of the hand soap/facial soap isle next to the Lava soap. You will need (4 bars) 2 packs.
- Borax. $3.99
- Baking or Washing Soda. $2.79 (x2, although you will have a lot left over, but one just isn't enough)
- Here's the expense: Essential Oils...I had to buy two bottles at $7.50 each!
3.49x2 (Castile soap)
2.79x2 (Baking soda)
3.99 (Borax)
15.00 (Lavender Essential Oil)
Total: $28.06 for an entire year of detergent for a family of two!
Think about it. How much do you spend on laundry detergent? And if you buy the all natural kind---wow, it can get really pricey.
I've been using it for a few weeks now. I was actually really excited to do the laundry. It felt good to be using something I made that saves money and is not harmful to people or the earth. Simple pleasures, I guess. I will admit that I miss the wonderful smell of Tide and the strong scent it emits. However, I think I'll get used to it. Besides, I have a new recipe for natural dryer sheets and I'm going to use lots of lavender in it! I'll post the recipe for this asap.
Now I just need to make an awesome label...
Upcoming Recipes:
Lavender Dryer Sheets
Homemade Dishwashing Detergent
Lavender Honey
French Milled Soap in a variety of scents including lavender!
...I have a thing for lavender if you haven't noticed :)
