Homemade Laundry Detergant.......

To continue my quest for going green & for also wanting to economize I have begun to make my own cleaning solutions. The first one is laundry detergent. Simple really -grate one bar of Fels-Naptha soap & boil it down to melt it (I used an old pot), 1/2c Borax & 1 c washing soda. Mix thoroughly in a 5 gallon bucket, and then add enough hot water to fill the bucket. The solution will gel up - but will be easy to pour it into an empty container (I used an empty Tide container) - fill it half way & then the rest with hot water - shake well & shake well each time you use it. I use 1/4c per wash in my front loader - I did some quick calculations & figured that it costs .0125 per load - can you believe it?

The other equally easy solution I made recently is a fabric deodorizer (Febreeze)
Mix together 1/4c of your favorite fabric softener, 1T of baking soda & 2c of hot water in a spray bottle.

I love the way this smells & makes the fabric feel - I figure this to be equal to .50 for the bottle

Going Green With Reuseables....

Ok - two posts in one day - hey I'll take advantage of any inspirational surge.

I am trying to go green little by little - it started with doing away with paper towels & paper napkins - WOW! Who knew how many of these things we used around here! Now we use a simple cloth napkin purchased on Etsy, along with some thick & strong cloth wipes - WONDERFUL! I still have a roll of paper towels stashed under the sink for when I bleach sanitize the counter (so I don't wreck the cloth towels) - but that's it! I have a small, separate basket only for these wipes & I wash them on hot, no softener - they dry in no time - saving money & the landfill. I also found reusable "Swiffer" products - dusters & mops. Use & toss in the wash. Another secret - I started on reusable mama pads - I only wish I found these gems twenty years ago! I have to "re-think" those days - take a little extra care & time - change a bit more frequently - but boy is it worth it! Comfortable, non-bulky & non-chemical - not for everyone - but ok by me!

Worms Eat My Garbage

Ok - so my dirty little secret is out - I admit it - I have worms. Red Wigglers - two pounds of them to be exact. They live on my deck in their own little worm farm and they dine on my garbage everyday! After a few attempts and some false starts - it looks like this time around it's going to work! I purchased the "farm" and two pounds of worms from The Worm Woman and already harvested some worm tea. Yes it' sounds strange - but it's environmentally friendly, good for my plants & just plain fun!!!