Homemade Laundry Soap

Last summer I made homemade powder laundry soap.  It didn't turn out very well and I haven't tried it again.  I didn't like it because after mixing & mixing & mixing it still stuck together.  I was able to take chunks off & use it.  I thought it did clean my laundry very well, but I didn't like the fact it stuck together.  I also am not a fan of powder laundry soap.  Every time I buy powder laundry soap I end up with white streaks across my clothes, so I stick to liquid now.

This past weekend my mom called to say she had bought all the stuff to make liquid homemade laundry soap.  I have a recipe saved on my computer to make it for 6+ months, but never got around to doing it.  The thought of grating a whole bar of soap just sounded like too much trouble.  So off to the store I go to spend $7-10 bucks a bottle for soap. 

I needed laundry soap this weekend and I keep forgetting to buy it when I went out.  This was a sign!  It was time to try the soap!  BUT I wasn't going to try to make it until how I heard my moms turned out. Why be the guinea pig when someone else already volunteers. :)

I was VERY pleased to read my moms blog on Sunday to see her soap turned out GREAT!  Not only did she like how it turned out, but she loved how it washed clothes.

Now it was my turn!  I only had a part of a soap bar and I was NOT going to the store to buy one more thing this weekend!  I decided to cut my moms recipe in half & try it out.  It wasn't so bad to grate the bar of soap.  I made enough to fill 3/4 of my laundry soap bottle...PERFECT!  I didn't want any extra that wouldn't fit in my bottle. I haven't tried it yet, but if mom likes it I am sure I will like it!

My mom has a great tutorial along with the recipe on her blog.  Check it out HERE!

Home made laundry soap

Recipe:
1 1/4 cups white vinegar
1 cup baking soda
1 cup washing soda
1 cup borax
1/4 cup liquid castile soap
Mix in a large, non-metal bowl. Start with the vinegar and continuously stir as you add each powder. Try to stir out and break up any clumps. Finish with the liquid soap. It will seem wet, like a thick paste, but keep stirring and it will begin to flake and crumble into a moist ‘powdered detergent’. KEEP STIRRING! If you quit too early, you’ll find a very hard block the next time you go to use it. So use them biceps and stir it to completion. You’ll end up with a sort of soft clumpy cake-y ‘loaf’, that will easily crumble off for use.

I used a Ziploc container to store my soap. I didn't stir it enough. I was able to pop the soap out of the container. I broke up all the soap into a powder. I used it twice already and it works GREAT! It was sooo cheap to make. I have enough ingredients to make another 3 or 4 batches.

I found this recipe on Bonzai Aphrodite blog.

Day 10 - Organizing Laundry Area

Oh how I wish I had a laundry room!!!!  A pantry & a laundry room are on my wish list for a future house.  Currently my laundry area is in the garage.  The washer is on the right hand side and the drier on the left hand side.  They are clear across the room from each other.  I have NO idea why you wouldn't put them next to each other.  If I was to start on why things were done the way in our house by the previous owners we would be here for days.  Slowly but surely we will redo things the way we want them.

I have a cupboard above the washing machine.  We laundry soap, rags, light bulbs, candles and various other little stuff. 

BEFORE

AFTER



BeautyCounter!

Here is my story that has led me to BeautyCounter!

I really started to look at the ingredients of products before I had George a little over 2 years ago. I refused to use any Johnson & Johnson products on him. Some people thought I was crazy. I didn't care! I felt it was very important that I use products with the least amount of chemicals as possible.

Once George starting eating foods I tried to feed him as much organic as possible. Over the past year I have worked on getting all of us to eat as much organic and grass fed meats. I also make my own laundry soap because I want to know what is in my soap. I stopped using cleaning products about 6 years ago. I went to vinegar, baking soda and peroxide to clean my house. I have a lot of health issues where I feel our environment causes a lot of these issues, so I really try to eliminate as many chemicals as possible from our home.

One of my friends Susannah recently starting selling BeautyCounter. Honestly at first I was like oh boy here we go again with yet another person selling junk. I joined her Instagram and Facebook groups. I would read what she was posting and guess what I agreed with what BeautyCounter stood for! Then BeautyCounter made it's was to my very favorite store Target! I actually got excited about it because I wanted to check out the products. I went to Target the day they launched. I waited in the store while they set up the display. I grabbed an eye cream and headed to the check out. I've been using it for a few weeks. The area around my eyes feel so much softer.

Last week Susannah was kind enough to let me try the skin care and body products for a week. I was sold! I have a lot of issues with an itchy scalp. And Head & Shoulders is NOT the answer! It doesn't matter if I wash my hair daily or once a week. I used BeautyCounters shampoo twice and fell in love with it! No more itchy scalp! The skin care products made my face so soft. I love the charcoal mask. When I returned all the items to Susannah I couldn't believe the difference I felt with my face. I ended up placing my order for the skin care products within 2 days. I can't wait for them to get here!

I am not a person that jumps on the bandwagon of selling the newest and latest thing. This is the very first thing I have ever sold. Joining BeautyCounter makes sense for me because I will be using these products for me and my family.

#beautycounter #beautifulproductsmadesafe #theneverlist #greggrenfrew#miadavis #christycoleman #HCHW #BCF #EWG #cleanshampoo#countertime #agegracefully #soothingfacewash#enlighteningtreatmentpads #radiancefirmingcomplex #upliftingdaycream#nourishingcleansingbalm #restorativenightcream #vibranteyeperfector#beautycounterface

Coffee Table Trays

Tonight I went to Target to get laundry soap. I was going down the home decor aisle and saw this woven tray. I picked it up and they were on clearance for $8 bucks. A light bulb went off...these would be perfect for the coffee table to hold magazines. I bought them and they look awesome under the coffee table!!!!