Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Homemade Laundry Detergent

I am on a mission to make my home more green in attempt to a) provide a healthier lifestyle for my family, and b) to save money! Some of the ways I am doing this is using cloth "unpaper" towels instead of paper towls, cloth diapering, using natural cleaners like vinegar, lemon juice, various essential oils, and other natural cleaning agents instead of harsh chemicals, and I have been making my own laundry detergent.

I was nervous about making my own detergent for a couple of reasons. I was tired of ordering my cloth diaper detergent online because it never failed, I would get myself into a situation where I was down to very little or no detergent with diaper laundry needing to be done and waiting on my shipment. It also seemed pricey to me to be buying laundry detergent for diapers and a seperate one for regular laundry. I know many people used the same name brand diaper detergent on their regular laundry, but I always seemed to hoard it for strictly cloth diaper use. I was scared to branch out and make my own because I was scared of causing buildup and subsequent repelling issued in the diapers, and I was worried that they would not get the diapers completely cleen. After hours upon hours of researching various recipes, I settled on an easy one and I have not turned back since.




Recipe:
2 Cups Washing Soda (not baking soda - WASHING soda)
2 Cups Borax
2 Cups Oxy Cleaner

Mix all ingredients into your container very well. Shake it around to make sure everything is all mixed up. I repurposed a container that held dishwasher tablets to hold the detergent and it works great. The first time I used a generic Oxy cleaner from Kroger in order to save money, but I have since splurged on the brand name Oxy Clean Free and I have been using that instead. I have never had buildup or repelling issues, and my laundry comes out fresh and clean every single time! YAY!

Friday, March 11, 2011

What? Free Time?

Ahhhh......Christina Marie is taking some quiet time/nap time in her room. I just finished picking up downstairs and now I can't believe this, but I actually have some free time! This almost never happens and I intend to take full advantage of it today.

Life is......WONDERFUL! The sun is shining bright these days and I am so happy and content with where things are going. I am keeping busy sewing for Cotton Cheeks, working out at the Y, and of course being mommy to my gorgeous angel, and wife to my amazing husband.

Christina is growing like a weed! I find myself trying to memorize every moment with her. It's incredible how fast time flies when you have a child and I don't want to forget anything. It's crazy how she can be so much like her daddy one minute, and then a little version of me the next. Her favorite past times these days are playing with her dogs, playing on her Leap Frog laptop, running around in her birthday suit, speaking baby babble, parks, playing in the water hose and sprinkler, chasing cats, pointing out air planes, and playing in her new play house her Daddy got her.