Laundry Detergent

SPRING is in the air! Last week we had freezing temperatures, ice, and snow. Today, I have the windows and doors open. The saying in Georgia is, "if you don't like the weather, wait a minute." 

I love this time of year. We are planning our garden, ordering more hens, the daffodils are beginning to bloom, green is starting to peek out on the trees, my kombucha production is getting into high gear again.... all the things I love are just around the corner.

One of the things I enjoy is the smell of laundry that has been hanging on the line. Mmmm....freshness! What I don't enjoy is paying $11-12 for a box of detergent that I might be able to get 40 loads out of! So, a few years ago I began the search for the perfect recipe for laundry detergent. The first few batches I made were in liquid form. While it worked fairly well, I didn't like having to do all the melting and blending of the batch. I also didn't like having to shake the bottle each time I used it, not to mention having several bottles sitting around the laundry room. (My recipe made almost 4 gallons.) Recently, a friend gave me a recipe for her detergent. It couldn't be more simple! You dump everything into a trash bag, mix it up, put it into your container ...done!

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Borax (76 oz)

Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (55 oz)

Arm & Hammer Baking Soda (64 oz)

OxyClean (56 oz)

Fels Naptha - 3 bars (grated, or you can use the food processor)

As I mentioned, all you need to do is put it into something that you can easily and thoroughly mix it up. A trash bag worked for me. The glass canister is one I used for making pickles. Looks like I will need to go shopping again :)

Use 2 tablespoons per wash. This should last a long time!

Brown Sugar & Vanilla Body Scrub

In an attempt to get back to the basics, and away from all the chemicals in the products we use, I began a search for personal care products that I could make for myself.  The following recipe is my adaptation of several recipes I found online.  It is also a great gift idea!

Brown Sugar Body Scrub

1 cup brown sugar (light or dark, your choice)
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 tablespoon honey
Vitamin E (cut open 2-3 Vitamin E liquid gel caps)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients very well in a bowl. Place in containers.  It's that easy!  I found that melting the coconut oil makes it easier to mix. It will solidify as it cools, making it easier to use as a scrub.

This is good enough to eat! ...but I wouldn't try that.