I have shared it on my old myspace for friends & relatives, and since they are probably tired of hearing about my cooler than cool homemade suds, I decided to share it here.
I have to be honest and say that even though I love to make this stuff, I don't keep up on it like I should. Inevitably, I run out on one of those days where I have more laundry than patience and I take the easy route & go buy some.
But when I do make it? Oooh honey, I feel like I just kicked Martha Stewarts hiney!
Tide is like the "cocaine" of laundry soaps isn't it? So expensive, yet the fresh scent so addictive. And Xtra is the lesser, "crack" version - cheap, cheap! I'm guilty of using everything on the shelf...Gain, Cheer, All (the stain lifter! LOL). But it doesn't matter what I pay, what coupons I have handy (yeah right), I just wanna kick myself because I could be making the stuff at home for pocket change - and it will last so much longer than the average sud of choice.
SO...If you have kids, need to save money, wash lots of laundry, wash a little bit of laundry, wear clothes, own clothes, have seen clothes, or know someone who knows someone...and have an hour to spare, then ask your doctor if this is for you.
Keep in mind, that as creatively talented and genius as I am (ahem), I did not come up with this recipe all by my lonesome. It was shared with me when I used to homeschool my middle son. And since we made our first batch as a homeschool "home-ec" class, we took pics of the process. Hey, who knew they would be for your future viewing pleasure, right? They aren't super professional and pre-date my blogging days, but I hope they give you an idea just the same. And someday I will take the last two pics - of the finished junk going into the wash - because I know you are dying to check out my Maytag.
Oh, before I get started, I just wanna say that I feel so VALIDATED using this recipe because I found out the Duggar's use the same ingredients! I saw it on their website. They mix theirs a little different, but hey - 18 kids - I'm sure they have to re-vamp EVERY recipe to make it work for them! Also - they use theirs with HE machines. I know that doesn't factually make the stuff HE safe, but it's a decent endorsement. And if you make it, then you too can feel "almost famous" by proxy.
OK - so here you go, you should be able to find it all in your grocery store laundry aisle, I did.
INGREDIENTS:
* Borax (it's sodium borate, a natural mineral & good for deodorizing & whitening)
* Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (it's sodium carbonate & removes dirt n' junk - not to be confused with baking soda!! )
* Fels Naptha bar soap (its just an old fashioned soap with no crap in it) OR you can use Ivory bar soap (love to use Ivory!)
* Water (lots & lots of water)
* And a bucket - I use a 5 gallon paint bucket that I got at ACE. Cause ACE is THE PLACE man.
* Oh and save one of your liquid laundry detergent containers.
HOW MUCH:
* 1 cup Borax
* 1 cup Arm & Hammer
* 3/4 the bar of Fels Naptha grated OR grate the whole bar if using Ivory
* Water: lots
NOW WHAT?
Heat about 6 cups of water in a big pot (like a metal stewer) - on medium-low heat. (In the meantime heat another 4 cups of water in a big measuring glass in the microwave & keep it in there until you need it so it stays hot. Not necessarily boiling, just good n' HOT. Can you handle that?)
Add grated soap to the pot of hot water on the stove & stir til it melts - then add the Borax & the Arm & Hammer soaps, keep stirring until it dissolves. Go get that hot water from the microwave and pour it into the bucket. (Please tell me you know its supposed to be a CLEAN bucket...just checking...you know some people!)
Now add the hot soapy stuff from the stove to the bucket. Stir it up!And we're gonna need some more water...add another 2 1/2 gallons - hot, straight from the tap is fine.
At this point you are pretty much done. Hopefully you have a lid for the bucket because you need to let it sit for 24 hours so it can gel up. It's never going to be fancy/pretty like store bought laundry soap all thick & smooth. Nor will it be a true gel consistency. It's gonna be like egg noodle soup. Clumpy. Thats just the nature of the "au natural" beast. After it sets, pour some into an old (cleaned out!) jug that you saved. This just makes it handier at the washer - also allows you to give it a good shake before dispensing it into the wash. ALWAYS give it a good shake.
Fair warning: its not going to really "suds up" like a bubble bath or like your store bought stuff. But it IS SOAP, with nary a synthetic, it WILL clean.
You can also add essential oils to your bucket if you like a certain scent - like Lavender, or Citrus - just use maybe an ounce of the oil - or you know, whatever fills yer fancy. I don't do this - mostly because essential oils are usually girly and I have all guys in my household. Besides, clean is clean and I let my dryer sheets do the softening & scenting. (I loves me some Snuggles!)
I've heard you can also make your own softener stuff with some concoction of vinegar and whatnot. But thats just pushing it.
So I hope you give it a try sometime & let me know if you do. You will have lots of the powders left over, save it!
If you buy a paint bucket like mine with a lid, one box of each of the soaps, and about 3 bars of soap - you will have spent about $10 total. For that $10 bucks you are going to get a good 3 to 4 batches of soap (which will refill your jug umpteen times!!). You don't have to buy a new bucket everytime, so when you get your supplies again, you maybe spend $5 every 2-3 months. You can't get a single container of the store stuff for that price! One batch lasts us close to a month.
Also, don't be afraid to play with the measurements - its soap, not rocket science. No one will know, and I will never tell. (Even though on the inside I will be saying "Oh no she dinnint use more Borax!!")The only thing I would be careful with is using any other bar soaps because you don't know what the oils in them will do to your clothes - some could leave greasy marks or fade.
Ok kids - have fun.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar