Homemade Laundry Soap

I know some of you have been waiting patiently for this post, so here it goes.  I don't know about you, but it used to kill me to drop $20 or more to get the large economy size HE name brand laundry detergent at my local big box membership club.  I had tried some of the cheaper brands, but was not very happy with their cleaning ability.  I was also not very happy to be paying for a large percentage of water or fillers in the formula and many chemicals that are not earth friendly.  I have a septic system at my house, and I was told by a septic repair man that one of the worst things you can put into your septic system is household detergents, mainly laundry, dish washing detergents, and bleach.  The main active chemical ingredients throw off the natural balance of good bacteria, which is the key to a properly working, trouble free system.

Over several months time, and giving samples to family and friends to try and get their feedback, I have come up with a formula that I have been using for several years.  When I first started making it, I used store bought soap bars made specifically for laundry use.  Since I now make my own cold process soap, I now make my own bar soap to grate for my laundry soap.  For those of you interested in experimenting with soap making, I'll share that recipe in a later post.  For those of you not quite ready to jump in and make your own bar soap, the store bought laundry bars, such as Fels Naptha or Zote Soap, will work just fine for this recipe.

Homemade Laundry Soap

• Roughly 2 1/2 cups loosely packed grated laundry soap bar (see note below)
• 1 cup washing soda (AKA soda ash, or sodium carbonate)
• 1/2 cup borax
• 1/2 cup baking soda (AKA sodium bi-carbonate)
• A few drops of Essential oils of your choice (optional)

This recipe makes approximately 4 1/2 cups of dry laundry soap.  Depending on the capacity of your washer, the size loads you wash, and if you have a HE or regular washer, you will need roughly 1 to 2 tablespoons per load.  At one tablespoon per load, this will get you about 72 loads per recipe, for 2 tablespoons per load, roughly 36 loads.  Buying the store bought laundry bar soap, bulk baking soda at the wholesale club, borax at my local big box retailer, and soda ash at my ceramics supply store (I will explain a little farther down in this post), the cost per load is roughly $.018/load for 1 tablespoon or $.036/load for 2 tablespoons!  Compare that to roughly $.20 to $.40 per load for your typical store laundry detergent.  With coupons you can get it down a little cheaper, but nowhere near less than 5 cents per load unless you are a coupon goddess and have double coupons in your state.  Don't have that here in Florida. :o( You are also saving on the cost of fabric softener since with this formula, you don't need any.  Your clothes and towels will come out super soft.  If you are still having static issues in the winter, add a little white vinegar to your rinse cycle, where you would normally add the fabric softener, and that will help.  If you like some scent to your laundry, adding a few drops of your favorite essential oils to the mix will do the trick.  The amount will vary based on the essential oil, since some are much stronger scented than others.

I make laundry soap in an old food processor.  If you don't have one, a box grater will work well to grate your bar soap.  It will just take longer.  Some say the rhythm of the grating process is therapeutic.  Personally, I would rather get it done fast so I can move on to other things.  I first slice the bars into small enough strips to feed into the top feed tube.  Allowing them to dry for a few hours at this point will also help the shredding go a little easier.  Then I shred it with a shred disk you might use for carrots or cheese, then set the shredded soap aside.  After all my soap bars are shredded, I measure out my recipe in the food processor with the chopping blade at the bottom.  Give the whole batch several long pulses until it is all well blended and it is ready to go.  I store mine in an old 5 gallon paint bucket, even a re-purposed cat litter container would be perfect, as long as it has a lid to keep moisture levels down.  As you can see by the size container I use, when I make my laundry soap, I make a big batch, so I will have enough to last me several months. 

All of these ingredients you should be able to find in your local big box store, or even your grocery store, but I shopped around for the best prices on each item.  One ingredient in particular, sodium carbonate (NOT sodium BI-carbonate), AKA washing soda or soda ash, is typically found in the laundry aisle, but I found an even cheaper, more obscure place to purchase it.  Believe it or not, soda ash is an ingredient used to make some glaze formulations in ceramics.  If you have a ceramics supply house near by, you might be able to buy soda ash by the pound from them way cheaper than in the laundry aisle.  It works good for other cleaning purposes, as it is also sold as washing soda.  It is also the same active ingredient in coffee machine cleaners you would typically pay several dollars for a small 8 oz container.  Mix it 1 tablespoon to 4 cups of water and you have another money saving use to keep your coffee maker clean.  Just make sure to run 3 batches of clean water through your machine afterwards to rinse out the cleaner solution.

If you are worried if this laundry soap recipe will work in an HE machine, don't.  This is a very low suds formula that works great in HE machines as well as regular machines.  When I had people test my formula, I had people with both kinds of machines try it with great results.  It also works great for baby clothes and people with sensitivities to many laundry product additives.  I only had one person complain it bothered her, but later found out she has sensitivities to baking soda.  You can also make the recipe without baking soda, but here in Florida with the harder water, it really seems to help soften the water and help with the rinsing.  Tweak the formula for your water conditions and see what works best for you. 

If you are finding bits of soap left undissolved after the wash, you are likely using too much. If you are used to store brands, the amount of this recipe you need will seem like too small of an amount to get the job done.  Keep in mind, most conventional store brands include water or other fillers to make it looks like you are getting more for your money.  When you strip it down to the essential cleaners you really don't need much.  I have seen other on-line recipes dissolve or cook their soap formula to make a liquid soap.  I guess you could also do that, but who wants the extra work, plus it will just take up more room with the added water. 

Speaking of other online formulas for laundry soap, many will recommend using left over scraps of regular bar soap you might use for washing your hands or your body.  Don't do it.  These bars are mostly either detergent bars, since in production the skin friendly glycerin is removed to sell for a higher price in lotions, or the bar is what they call "super-fatted."  If you don't already know, soap is made by chemically changing the physical properties of oils, butters, or fats into soap using lye, also known as sodium hydroxide.  In soap speak, super-fatting soap means having excess oils added to the soap that do not completely saponify, or turn into soap, during the chemical and curing process.  These unsaponfied oils are great for moisturizing your skin, but not so good for your laundry.  Excess oils will build up on your clothes and in your machine over time.  Not good!  Please use only soap designed for laundry purposes or cold process soap that is not super-fatted.  Lard or tallow based soaps also seem to work a bit better than vegetable oil based soaps, in my opinion.  Over time, the vegetable based soaps seemed to make my whites a little dingy.

I hope this post has been worth the wait, and you now have a whole new insight to your laundry.  It may be far more than you ever thought you would know about soap or laundry, but typically knowing too much is far better than not knowing enough. :o)  Please post your comments and results, so if you have tweaked your formula for different parts of the country others can also benefit from your findings.

Microwave Potato Chips

You read the title correctly.  Yes, you can actually make crunchy chips in the microwave.  I was watching a Dr. Oz episode and was inspired by one of the kitchen gadgets he was showcasing.  Being the frugal person I am, I thought, "Why spend the money on the gadget?"  Who needs another gadget cluttering up their kitchen, anyway?

Slice the potatoes paper thin.  If you have a mandolin slicer already, that is the perfect tool used on the thinnest slice setting.  Place a reusable non-stick silicone baking sheet in your microwave and turn off the turn table to keep it from spinning.  Place your potato slices on the sheet making sure to not over lap.  Sprinkle with a little sea salt, then nuke on high for 2-3 minutes.  The time will vary based on how thin your slices are and the power of your microwave.  If they turn out a little chewy and not crunchy, your chips are either cut too thick or it needs to cook a little longer.  If they are cooked a little too long, they will taste a bit burned.  Play around with a few small batches until you get it just right.  They are delicious, light & airy, and much healthier than any fried chip.

You can also try this trick with a variety of veggies & fruits like sweet potatoes, apples, pears, or other root veggies like parsnips, beets, etc.  Check out some of the variations you see in the snack aisle for inspiration. You will probably have to play around a little to find the perfect cook times for each type.  I found with apples, and other items that have a higher sugar content, the sweeter they were, the more likely they had a tendency to be a bit more chewy than crunchy, but they are still delicious.  With the apples, I found putting them in for 1 minute and 50 seconds, flipping them, then putting them in for another 30 seconds came out the best.

It's much quicker than a dehydrator, so you can make them fresh whenever you get the craving.  I haven't tried it yet, but I would think they would store for a few days at room temperature in an airtight container or baggie. I'm sure you could also do the same thing in the oven on a low bake setting, but when you don't want to wait or heat up your kitchen, try this instead.  Imagine the possibilities!

Plant a Fruit Tree

Trying to eat more fruit?  Why not plant a fruit tree?  Even if you don't live in a warmer climate, with the large variety of fruit trees available, many will survive in areas that get quite cold.  Some trees will even bear fruit if grown in containers, which can be moved to a more sheltered area when the mercury drops.  While you enjoy your bountiful harvest, every year, your property values will likely also increase.  Here in Florida, did you know that your property value increases $1,000 for each mature citrus tree?  That's quite a return on your essentially maintenance free, $20-$50 investment for only a few short years to sit and wait. 

One mature tree will likely produce more fruit than your family can eat all by yourselves.  Why not see if a neighbor would also plant a different variety, so when the trees start producing you can swap?  You can maybe even sell your excess to a local farm stand, keep your neighbors supplied, or donate your excess to a local food bank or church to help feed those in need?

Before you buy, do your homework.  Online resources and local nurseries are a great place to find out information on which trees will do best in your area, growing habits and size of a mature tree, how long you will have to wait to get fruit, what maintenance or pruning will be required or not, if a second tree is needed for pollination or not, and how much fruit you can expect from a mature tree.  Check out local smaller nurseries before opting for the big box retailers.  You will likely get much more valuable growing information, a healthier tree more fitting for your climate, and help support your local small businesses.

Grow your fruit organically and you can really benefit.  You can reduce the amount of pesticides and fungicides your family ingests, and your cost, versus what you would pay for organic fruit elsewhere, will save you bundles!

Painting Tip

When you are working on a painting job, and it time to quit for the day, but you are far from finished, DON'T rinse out your paint brush.  WHAT?!!  You heard me right.

When you are using a latex or oil based paint, you can simply wrap up the bristles in plastic wrap and pop them in the fridge.  The moist, cold environment will prevent the paint from curing.  Have you ever noticed most paint cans will tell you not to paint when the temperature is too cold?  That's why.  You can even keep them in the fridge for a few days, if you need to, and they will not dry up on you.  I've even done it for up to a week with no problems.  When you are ready to get back to your project, unwrap and you are ready to go.  This way you waste less paint, too.

This tip is a great one for those weekend warriors out there.  Have you ever noticed when you did wash out your brush the night before and it wasn't dry the next time you picked it up, it causes all kinds of annoying problems.  For instance, the water remaining in the brush waters down your latex paint, so your coverage is not consistent.  It also causes messy drips running down the handle of your brush if you are painting above shoulder level.  Don't rinse out your brush each time, and these problems are eliminated.

This tip also works for rollers, too!

Removing Red Wine Stains

Aw, Man!  You just dripped red wine on your shirt, or worse yet, on your friend's light colored carpet.  Don't panic, but don't let it sit there too long, either.  First try to dab up the excess with something absorbent, like a white paper towel, or a clean rag.  Don't rub, Dab.  Also, try not to spread the stain over a larger area in the process.  Now you need two basic things you will likely find in any household:

• a bottle of dish soap, the kind with the squirty pop top, 
• and a bottle of plain old cheap hydrogen peroxide

Did you know that the size opening and threading on most dish soap bottles is exactly the same as the ones used on pretty much every hydrogen peroxide bottle?  Divine intervention?  Maybe?  Here's the trick....  Unscrew the pop top from the soap bottle, don't rinse the soap off of it, then screw it right onto the hydrogen peroxide bottle.  You now have the perfect tool for your wine removal.  The little bit of dish soap remaining on the pop top works with the hydrogen peroxide so you can apply it exactly where it needs to go.  Use the tip of the bottle to gently massage the fabric or carpet to get between the fibers and remove the stain.  If on a carpet, use a clean white paper towel or clean rag to soak up the excess liquid as you go, so the carpet doesn't get too soaked.  Like magic, the soap and peroxide mixture makes the stain almost vanish before your eyes.  After the stain has disappeared, rinse with cool, clean water and dab up the excess with a different clean white paper towel or clean rag.

Many online cleaning tips tell you to mix up a batch of this and that, using up a bulk of the hydrogen peroxide solution, and getting out more mixing stuff than what you actually need.  Don't waste time or more supplies than you really need.  The pop top allows for precision placement of your cleaning solution with little to no waste.

I used this trick for one of my parent's friends over the holidays.  They were shocked at how simple and quick it worked.  This trick will work on colored fabrics as well, but make sure you rinse it afterwards.  It will also work on many more organic type stains that are typically tough to get out.  Hydrogen peroxide is very similar to the active ingredient in cleaners like Clorox 2, so it will also be safe on most color fabrics.  On your fancier fabrics, you might want to spot test on a hidden area, just to make sure, but I've never found a problem when I have used it... knock on wood!

Repairing a Frozen or Sticking Deadbolt

My husband went to open the back door last week.  The deadbolt turned a little bit, then completely froze up.  We couldn't turn it either way without feeling like we were going to break the key off in the lock.  Yours might not be that stuck, maybe its just sticking or not too easy to turn.  Don't call the repair man, grab a philips screwdriver, the one with the X on the top, and a can of WD-40 spray lubricant.

Most deadbolts have two screws on the inside of the deadbolt, the side facing the inside of the door.  Loosen those screws and put them in a safe place close by so you don't loose them.  Righty-Tighty, Lefty-Loosey is how you can remember which way to turn.  As you open up the lock, pay attention to how all the parts fit together and where they are located to help you know where they need to go back in just a minute.  There will likely be two parts, the decorative cover and the round part the key fits into, if you have that type.  Or if you have the kind that has a knob that turns, it might be all one piece.  There will be a long stick part coming off of this piece that fits into a squarish opening in the part that stays in the door.  Set those pieces to the side.

Grab your can of WD-40 and spray all inside the lock mechanism over any part that looks like it will move.  Point the can inside the opening at a few different angles, to make sure you get everything.  Using your screwdriver, place the tip into the squarish opening that the stick like part had fit into.  Turn to the right and to the left to see if you can get the lock parts to move again.  They should start to move now.  You should be able to open the door now.  Spray a little more lubricant into the lock and add some more on the deadbolt on the side of the door.  Continue to turn the deadbolt locked and unlocked with your screwdriver until the mechanisms move freely.  Now it's time to reassemble.

On my particular model lock, the squarish stick part has one slightly rounded side.  The opening in the door will have the same.  You will need to line up the sides of the square so they fit properly, but don't forget the decorative cover, if your model has the two pieces.  Now reinsert the piece.  This might be a little easier if the lock is either in the completely locked position, or completely unlocked position, instead of somewhere in between.  You might not get it lined up exactly the first time, but be patient, you can do it.  Fit the pieces back in place.  Reinsert the screws and tighten them up.


You did it!  The lock likely just needed a little lubricant or there was dirt and dust in the moving parts making it stick.  Congratulations! You just saved yourself some money and a call to the repair man.  Now that was easy, wasn't it?!

Must Have for your Medicine Cabinet

My favorite thing in my medicine cabinet is Tamanu Oil.  You say, "What is that?  I've never heard of that before!  How can something I have never heard of before be a must have in my medicine cabinet?  If its so great why haven't I heard of it?"  I really think the many doctors, pharmaceutical companies, personal care and first aide product companies don't want to spread the word because they would lose too much business.  Either that, or they just don't know about it.  That is my personal take on it anyway.  It is a cold pressed oil, think olive oil, that comes from a nut that grows in Southeast Asia.

100% Cold Pressed Organic Tamanu oil is truly amazing.  I first heard about it from an expert in lesser known natural medical alternatives from around the world who appeared on the Dr. Oz Show.  I don't even remember his name, but I would sure like to thank him.  He said that it was good for everything about the skin.  Being a soap maker, I was intrigued.  I searched for it on the Internet to find out more about it, then ended up ordering some online.  That was the best money I have spent in a long time.

Tamanu oil has an amazing variety of properties that you don't find in too many products all at the same time.  It works as an anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, antibiotic, and anti-microbial topical treatment.  It will even help lighten age spots and reduce the appearance of scars, and it smells good too.  I thought it sounded too good to be true, but I wanted to try it anyway.  I use it for minor cuts, scrapes, rashes, burns, minor abrasions of the skin, etc.  It really seems to speed healing by a few days in many cases, takes the sting out of the "ouchies" almost immediately, reduces the typical itching sensation you typically get with healing or scabbing because the oil keeps it moist and prevents cracking and drying of the area, and the little scars you sometimes get with nastier boo-boos are non-existent.  It will clear up minor blemishes and even acne in just a few days!  If you can get it up and under and around the nail, it will even help eliminate toe nail fungus, the culprit in common toe nail discoloration. (Must be applied 2-3 times a day till the nail grows out.)  Just imagine how many creams, ointments, lotions, prescriptions, and co-pays you could eliminate with just one product! I'm hearing some major jingle in those pockets, not to mention eliminate some clutter in the bathroom!  Those benefits were already impressive, but let me tell you about two other applications that totally blew my mind and saved who knows how much money in medical expenses. 

When my daughter was 4, she went through a phase, like most kids, where she had a bad habit of picking her nose.  Despite the seemingly continual attempts to stop this habit, it continued for quite a while.  At one point I noticed she had gotten a little red, raw looking area just below her nose.  By the next day, the area below her nose had doubled in size and small areas on her arms and even her legs and torso were starting to appear the same way.  She complained of severe itching and couldn't keep her hands off.  My husband recognized this as something he had seen growing up called impetigo, also commonly called infantigo.  My mom, who had worked for a Dermatologist, also agreed.  This is a VERY aggressive bacterial infection that spreads like wildfire.

Now it was Saturday, and the doctor's office is closed.  What to do?  I looked up this infection online to see what to expect, how it is typically treated, and how I could ease my daughter's symptoms until the doctor's office opened on Monday.  Online I found that no home remedies were suggested except washing hands very well and all the time to help reduce spreading, and the typical treatment was high does of systemic antibiotics over a week or two, maybe longer, and the resulting scars typically take months to disappear, and may be permanent.  I freaked!  With the size of the one area alone, right below her nose, I could only imagine the torment she would face if that scar was there for an extended period of time.  I remembered that I had the Tamanu oil, and all of its claims to be antibacterial, antibiotic, and helps improve the appearance of scars.  I applied it with a cotton ball immediately to all the areas I could find in a head to toe search, including using a cotton swab to get the area up her nostril to make sure it didn't spread up that way, as well.  I applied it 3 times a day.  The itching eased, which stopped the scratching and resulting spreading.  By the next morning, Sunday, the redness had totally gone out of all the areas and I didn't find any new areas.  This was a major improvement considering how rapidly the areas spread over 24 hours the day before.  I was feeling relieved and amazed that I had seemed to get it under control, but my husband was still freaking out and encouraging me to get her in to the doctor Monday morning.  He had seen such bad cases on his brothers as a child, that he didn't want to take any chances.  By Sunday evening, many of the areas had started to scab, and some of the minor areas had even started to shrink or disappear!  I couldn't believe my eyes.  The improvement was so dramatic, that by Monday, I didn't even call the doctor.  Even my husband had agreed that it looked like it was well on its way to recovery, so much so that we probably wouldn't need the doctor after all.  By the end of the week, even the initial spot under her nose and a large area behind her knee had healed up so well you couldn't even tell it was ever there!  The only clue was that her legs had been pretty tan and some of the skin around the spot on her leg was not as tan.  Truly AMAZING!

Without getting this post too long, I also would like to tell you about my dad, a diabetic since age 24, now in his 70s.  He used Tamanu oil for a nasty injury on his big toe that seemed like it was not healing at all.  He has neuropathy in his feet, nerve damage common in diabetics, so he didn't feel it when something heavy dropped on his big toe.  It got all swelled up, black and blue and red, and appeared to be infected.  After a few days of showing little to no improvement, they were considering having a doctor check it out.  Diabetics have a difficult time healing in their extremities typically anyway, but this really didn't look good at all.  I was worried that if it didn't get better, it could turn into gang green and may ultimately end up getting amputated.  Unfortunately, this is not that uncommon for diabetics.  I carefully applied the tamanu oil to every area I could get to, and applied it generously around the nail area so I would seep under the nail.  Told my parents to apply it 2-3 times a day and keep it elevated.  By the next day a majority of the redness and swelling was showing significant improvement.  Finally!  Long story short, in a matter of a couple of weeks, it had healed up beautifully.  Lost the nail, but that was expected.  That was quicker than most scratches heal up on his legs.  We couldn't believe it.

A little goes a long way with this stuff, and it has a shelf life of 12-18 months, so don't buy too much.  I have had mine a little longer, and it still seems to be working fine, but I don't know how much longer it will hold up.  When I bought mine, the best price I could find, figuring in shipping, was at http://mountainroseherbs.com/.  There are other places that sell it also, so check around for the best price.  Hope you give it a try and experience the amazing healing powers of this natural oil personally.  By the way, I was not paid for this endorsement.  I am simply speaking from experience and hope my experience can help you out as well.

Encouragement of Friends to Get Started

For years numerous friends, family members, co-workers, and acquaintances have urged me to write a book, start a web page, or somehow find a way to share all my little tips and tricks that have been gathering in my brain for many years now.  I have to laugh when my friends introduce me to others as, "This is Lisa, the one I was telling you about that knows everything."  I don't claim to know everything, by any means.  Not even close.  But, I do seem to have a knack for remembering various helpful bits of information on a wide variety of subjects and find innovative ways to incorporate them into everyday life to save money, work smarter rather than harder, finding healthier options, and figuring out easy practical solutions to many of life's annoying problems. I am quite the DIYer (Do It Yourselfer) on many levels.  If I find something interesting, I want to find out about it or how to do it myself.  If I find something annoying, I try to find a solution.  Many times it turns out to be a money saver and quite a simple fix.  I believe knowledge is power.  Especially now with the availability of so many free resources on the internet and many other places, there is no excuse not to enlighten yourself.

I also have some strong opinions on healthy living, the many wrongs in the healthcare system, and sometimes what many may consider alternative solutions to health problems.  I am not a doctor, nurse, or anything like that.  Just a regular mom who has found many solutions to her own health problems and those of friends and family.  I will share many of my findings as part of this blog, but for legal reasons, I can't make any official medical claims.  These are just some things I have found worked for me or people I know.  If you choose to try them yourself, I claim no liability for your individual results.  Many of these things I will share I have learned from a variety of sources you may also be familiar with such as Dr. Memet Oz, Dr. Andrew Weil, Dr. Joseph Mercola, and many other experts I have seen on well know shows such as Oprah.  Some are things I have stumbled upon in my research of various subjects of alternative health from all over the world.  As you can see, most of these things didn't just come to me in a dream or something, many are based on time tested practices, but may not be common knowledge.  Especially here in the U.S., where it seems many people believe if it doesn't come in pill form or has been advertised extensively on television, how can it really work?  I have also found that many doctors are not very familiar with some of these solutions, either.  Either that, or they will not make claims on them one way or another since they live constantly with the fear of a malpractice suit, since it may not be officially endorsed by the American Medical Association or the FDA.  It seems many alternative health practices and nutritional facts are not taught extensively or not at all in medical school here in the U.S., so many doctors may be unfamiliar with them.  Again, it doesn't mean that it doesn't work.  Many of these practices have been in existences in other countries for hundreds, maybe even thousands of years in other countries.  Why would people still be using them if they didn't work?  Many times getting back to the basics is far better than running a battery of expensive tests and ultimately taking a handful of expensive pharmaceutical drugs with a list of ugly side-effects that one may wonder if they are truly worth taking in the first place.

I hope you find my random ramblings interesting, informative, and maybe even find a suggestion or two you plan to incorporate into your everyday life.  Thanks for reading and I hope you share what you have learned with someone else to help improve their life, too.  I am always open to learning more.  If you get inspired by my posts or have some additional ideas you would like to share, please post your comments for others to see.  I'd love to hear from you!

Lisa