Hi all!
I have been taking a break from the blogging world for a while. We have some exciting changes going on and I have been kind of "consumed" with those. I have to tell you that I have bloggers jamb! SO SO SO been blog ideas in my head, I just have to sit down and get them out. So be prepared. Ha! My blog is like my "out there journal". I truly think it is what keeps me from going insane with all of the ideas and thoughts I want or need to share.
A couple months ago I saw a recipe on Pinterest on how to make your own laundry soap. A friend of mine over at Everyday Atchley's tried it and loved it so I thought I would give it a spin (a little laundry humor) I L. O. V. E. IT! It smells wonderful and is very gentle on my clothes and skin, rinses clean and works in my HE front load washer with little or no sudsing. We have some sensitive skin in this house and this has been a great change for us.
Here is the recipe. It makes quite a bit, smells awesome and costs about 1/3 less than the laundry detergent you get at the store.
3 bars Fels Naptha Bar Soap
4 lbs. Borax
4 lbs. Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
4 lbs. Arm & Hammer Baking Soda
All of these items can be found in the laundry section of the store, usually on the bottom shelf since they are what our grandmothers used and aren't highly advertised anymore. Instead of Fels Naptha you can also use Ivory or Zote soap. It will cost you about $20 for all of the ingredients. NOTE ~ you shouldn't use this on cloth diapers. It has baking soda in it and will cause an issue with the absorbing properties of the diaper. Wouldn't want that now would we?
First thing is to start with a box lined with a trash sack or a clean 5 gallon bucket to mix this in, it makes A LOT. First, grate the Fels Naptha bar. You can either use a cheese grater (tons of work), food processor, or I used my Kitchenaid mixer's grating attachment. MUCH faster, and a lot easier on the elbows. (Grate finer for HE machines) This step makes your house and your hands smell amazing!
Mix all of the ingredients well and store in an airtight
container. I found a really cute jar at Hobby Lobby that seals nice and tight, then slapped a few vinyl letters on it to cutsie it up. Hey, if your going to be domestic you might as well go all the way right? However, if you aren't into cutsie, any container will do as long as it is airtight. At Walmart they had a very neat 2 Tbsp measuring spoon, drop it in the jar and Viola! Ready to use.
If you try it, let me know what you think. I don't plan on ever buying the other stuff again.
If you have slivers of the Fels Naptha bar that are to small and painful to grate, save them. They make great preteater. Just wet & rub the soap piece on the greasy stain. It's what our Grandmothers did.
From the Fels-naptha website
"Fels-Naptha® is a time-tested stain remover and pre-treater working especially well on oil-based stains. Just rub the stain with a wet bar of Fels-Naptha® soap. Let it sit for a few minutes and wash as usual. Fels-Naptha® especially works great on stains made by: Make up, chocolate, perspiration and baby formula stains"
If you would have told me 3 years ago while I was running the lumber yard that I would be making my own laundry soap, I would have looked at you like you were crazy and probably laughed out loud! SO happy my life has changed.......and that it smells better to! NOW if I can just find someone to do the ironing.
Love and miss all of you
Jeanne
