Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent

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My friend, Angela, from Hidden Treasures, inspired me with this recipe! Thanks, Angela!!! :)


For a few years I’ve considered making my own laundry detergent, but have hesitated because I am SO happy with the kind I use now, and it seemed a little intimidating and complicated to make my own.  The MelaPower detergent I’ve used for the past 6+ years is free of harsh chemicals, cleans my clothes so well and I love the SMELL.

So why would I choose to go to the trouble of making my own when I’ve been so happy with the kind I’ve been using? ~ the savings!  When I figured up how little it would cost to make and use my own detergent, I simply had to give it a shot.

I have to say that I’m really satisfied with the way it cleans my clothes and the cost is only about $2 a month for our family of 6 ~ and it’s really simple to do!  I will share in the next few days how to add essential oils to your laundry for added smell and to kill dust mites and bacteria.

There are different recipes available, but this is the only one I’ve used.  I may experiment with others someday. This recipe yields 5 gallons.  Some recipes make a much smaller amount, but I like making a lot at a time as a time saver.  It keeps very well.

Homemade Laundry Detergent:
1 Bar of Fels Naptha Soap
1 Cup of Arm and Hammer Washing Soda (not baking soda :))
1/2 Cup of Borax
4 Cups of Hot Water

Directions:
Place 4 cups of hot water in a sauce pan and grate bar of soap into it.  Stir over medium high heat until the soap dissolves.  Fill a 5-gallon bucket half full with hot water.  Add melted soap mixture, washing soda and borax.  Stir well until powder is dissolved.  Fill to the top with hot water.  Let it sit overnight to thicken.  I use 1 cup for an extra large load.  I always wash in an extra large load since I always have lots of laundry, and the washer uses the same energy to wash a small load as an extra large ~ which saves money.  Washers hold different capacities, so experiment and adjust the amount for your washer.



*I used a cheese grater to grate my soap.  At first I thought I should buy a separate grater for my cheese, but realized that soap is clean :) and I only need to wash it off with hot water when I’m done.
*I bought a 5-gallon bucket at my local hardware store for about $7.50, but you can also get one free from a deli – it would just need cleaned out really good.
*I filled my old detergent bottle with the detergent, which makes it convenient to use rather than dipping it out of the bucket everyday.  Shake before each use.

Click below to view my powdered laundry soap version:
Homemade Powdered Laundry Detergent


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Homemade Baby Wipes

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I only have two days until my due date, and I’m still slowly getting things ready for my baby girl!  You’d think I would have things all together weeks before now, but I’m still at it.  I never went early with my other three, so I guess in the back of my mind I think I still have time. ;)  I finally did get my baby wipes made today.  I have made baby wipes with all my children. Making my own ensures that I know the ingredients being put on my baby’s skin, and saves money.

Recipe:

1 roll Bounty Paper Towels (has to be Bounty or similar quality)
2 cups warm water
2 Tbls. Baby Shampoo
1 Tbls. Baby Oil
3 drops Tea Tree Oil

Mix liquid ingredients well.  Cut the paper towels in half width wise with a knife.  Remove inside cardboard.  Place the half roll of paper towels in a plastic container with a lid.  Pour half of the mixture over paper towels, turn the roll over and pour rest of the mixture over it.  Cover and let sit for a few minutes while the liquid is absorbed.  Dispense from middle.

There are two reasons I prefer to make my wipes instead of buying them.  

1. It saves money.  

2.  I use safer ingredients.

When I make my wipes, I use ingredients that don’t contain the harsh chemicals found in regular, store-bought wipes.  I use Koala Pals hair wash and Renew Bath Oil that contains tea tree oil.  The tea tree oil has natural disinfectant and healing properties.  When I have used regular wipes, I can tell a difference with my baby’s skin compared to when I use my homemade ones.  

These would also make good hand wipes.  The germicidal properties in tea tree oil make these wipes a perfect substitute for hand sanitizer!



This post is linked to:
An Original Belle  Feminine Adventures
Time Warp Wife


Colloidal Silver – A Natural Anti-Biotic

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So what IS colloidal silver?
Colloidal silver is a suspension of very tiny silver particles in pure water, used by many to prevent infection and enhance health.  It kills bacteria and boosts the body’s natural immune system.  Anti-biotics kill the bad bacteria, but has negative side effects, and kills the good bacteria along with the bad, which breaks down the immune system.


Farmers of the 1800′s and into the early 1900′s used it to keep milk fresh without refrigeration.
Colloidal silver was used in pre-1940  by many, if not all, physicians. Doctors used it as an effective antibiotic.
Later, as medicine expanded and new medications were developed, these replaced colloidal silver. People accepted the new as better, and began to refer to colloidal silver as a “quack” drug.
A minority of people remembered its value, and continued research.  From the continued research, Colloidal Silver and its effectiveness in treating sickness reappeared on the market.
What is Silver used for?
Colds
Sinus – can be sniffed or sprayed up the nose and taken by mouth for sinus problems and infections

Throat – take by mouth for sore throats and even strep

Skin – used for acne, scars and stretch marks

Ear

Respiratory
Yeast
Gastrointestinal
Food Poisoning – take if you know or suspect you’ve come across contaminated food.  We have taken a dose many times “just in case”!

Key Product Features
• Doctor recommended
• Backed by Science
• Tested by major universities and certified independent laboratories
• Hundreds of completed tests at government certified laboratories
• GSA and VA approved for purchase
• Proven safe in 7 different safety studies
• Pro-biotic tested and found harmless against friendly bacteria or flora
• Customer proven with over a million bottles sold throughout the world
• Only product of this type to be presented before a congressional hearing on Malaria (Apr 2005)

How do I personally use silver?
It can be used as a prevention for sickness.  I’ve never given it to my family everyday, though that is considered safe.  If silver is already in your system on a continual basis, your body becomes a little “immune” to it.  It’s not a permanent thing – you just have to go off it for a few weeks to get it out of your system so that it is once again very effective to fight sickness. But I don’t personally want it in my system everyday, because if a sickness does strike, I want the complete benefit from it.   I do give my girls a dose a day if I hear something bad is going around – to help build their immune systems.  When we travel out of town, one of my kids have always gotten sick, from throwing up to colds, – I assume from eating different foods, drinking different water and being in a changed climate. I now give them a dose of silver a day when we travel, and they have stayed free from sickness on our trips. 
It can be used to fight sickness once it has started.  If we have the starting of a cold or allergies, I give a dose about twice a day.  But if something more severe hits, like flu, virus, fever, etc. – I get much more aggressive and give a dose 3-5 times a day.  I continue hitting it hard for a few days, and then taper off to a dose once or twice a day for a total of 10 days.  When anti-biotics are prescribed, it’s normally for 10 days, so I administer silver for that long.  I have stopped before the 10 days and witnessed the sickness coming back.  Like I said, though, I do taper off the amount during the 10 days – being aggressive the first few days, going down to just a few doses a day for the next few days, and give just a dose a day the last days.  If at any time that I start tapering off I notice symptoms getting any worse, I up the dose again to at least 3 times a day, and then start tapering off as the symptoms lessen.
You can buy colloidal silver from the internet for about half the price of buying it in a store ~ and it lasts for several sicknesses!