Homemade Laundry Detergent - Hard Water

I've been wanting to make my own, homemade laundry detergent for a LONG time.

Almost all the recipes I found for homemade detergent called for "Borax".

Then, I kept reading how bad it is. So, I had to research it.

I read and I read and I read. I came across this post on Crunchy Betty.

I'm concluding that I'm okay with using Borax for washing my clothes.

There are probably tons of other chemicals in the store bought detergent that's not labeled that I'd be worried about.

Dry or liquid? This time, I made dry, powder detergent.

Next time, maybe I'll make liquid. We'll see. :)

Okay, to the good stuff.

Here are the ingredients:

- 2 cups Washing Soda

- 2 cups Borax

- 1 bar Fels Naptha

You may wonder why this recipe calls for more borax and washing soda than other recipes found online.

It's because we have hard water.

Geez, water issues again?? I have to make our No 'Poo recipe a special way because of our hard water.... and now, our detergent? Well, I guess I'll just deal with it...

So, I grated the entire bar of Fels Naptha (which, by the way, is a laundry soap).

I tried putting it through our tiny little food processor to make them into tinier pieces, but it ended up just balling up. lol. no good. It crumbled anyway when I crushed it with my hands, but next time, I'll just keep them shredded like the photo above.

Then, I put everything into an empty, huge coffee container and mixed and mixed and mixed until the yellow soap seemed evenly distributed.

- We put in 2 tablespoons (we're using the scoop that came with the coffee container) as the water is filling up in the washer. I first start off with hot water and then if I need to switch to cold, I switch it after I know that the soap has dissolved completely.

- We add Oxy Clean to the "1" line before adding clothes.

- We also use white vinegar in a Downy ball for the rinse cycle as our "softener". :)

So far so good. It's been 2 weeks and everything seems to be working great!

I even did a test wash and put tomato sauce on a hand towel and let it sit for 2 days before washing it. No stain! :D

MUCH cheaper than store bought detergent and less chemicals. Yay.

Here's where I need your help.

I read that Fels Naptha may not be the "greenest" soap to use.

I wanted to use Dr. Bronner's Castille soap, but I also read that it doesn't get as clean. That's no good. I also read about Ivory, so I might try that.

Suggestions?

Homemade Vanilla Extract

I love to bake. I use a lot of vanilla extract. Vanilla extract is EXPENSIVE. They come in tiny bottles and I use them up really fast. Which means... I buy lots of little tiny bottles of expensive vanilla extract.

I know that people make their own vanilla extract so I looked it up. It's SO easy. Why didn't I do this before!?!?

I decided to make my own vanilla extract. I mostly went off of this recipe.

All you need are some vanilla beans and vodka. This recipe calls for 1 cup vodka.

I decided to get Madagascar Vanilla Beans. There are lots of different kinds, so you can choose whatever one you want!

I cut my vanilla beans in half width wise and length wise.

I also read on various other recipes that you should scrape out the vanilla beans, so I did that with just 2 of the cut pieces.

Then, I put everything in a small mason jar (should've used a bigger one, but that's all I had).

It looks like there's no liquid in there, but I promise, it's filled to the top with vodka. :)

And that's it!!

I'm supposed to shake it every day and let the vanilla infuse into the vodka for at least a month. It's best after 2-3 months. I can't wait!!

As you use up this vanilla extract, you can just keep adding more vodka so you never run out! YES!!!! If the flavor seems to be not as strong, you add another cut vanilla bean. Easy peasy.

I've read several other recipes where you just use a bunch more vanilla beans and put them directly into the vodka bottle. So, you don't even need an extra container!

Homemade Vanilla Extract Recipe (adapted from Simply Notable)

Ingredients

3 whole vanilla beans

1 cup vodka

1. Cut the vanilla beans in half width wise. Then, cut them length wise.

2. Optional - Scrape out a few of the cut vanilla beans (I did 2 of them).

3. Put 1 cup of vodka and cut vanilla beans (and scraped out parts if you did) into a jar. The beans should be completely submerged.

4. Shake daily for at least 4 weeks. Vanilla extract will become better with time (2-3 months).

* Add more vodka and/or vanilla beans as you use it up.

I'll report back in a few weeks to let you know how it turned out! I'm so excited!!

Let me know if you decide to make your own vanilla extract, too!

Also... I'd love to know who's visiting here so come say 'hi' in the comments and follow me through Google Friend Connect! I would love to hear some ideas of green (frugal and eco-friendly) things I can do!

Quick Update!!

It's only been a little over 6 hours and here's what it looks like!

No 'Poo Tuesday Report - Week 4

We are now in our 4th week of going "no 'poo".

Yes, I still kind of think I'm crazy and I can't really believe I'm doing this... and that I've done it for 4 weeks now.

I have an update. Towards the end of last week, my scalp seemed... dare I say it?... A little on the greasy side.

O_O

Um, no. I don't think so.

"No 'Poo" is only going to work if my hair/scalp was clean and... well, normal, if you know what I mean.

I already knew how to tackle the hard water issues (the boiling water method).

I searched online and found 2 other suggestions.

- Don't wet my hair before I use the baking soda mixture. It's wet enough anyway.

- Add a little bit (like drops) of tea tree oil.

I tried both. I already had tea tree oil so these 2 adjustments were super easy for me to make.

This did the trick. My hair and scalp are back to normal and my hair is super soft once again.

Yay!

Someone asked me about what the baking soda and apple cider vinegar recipe I'm using..

This is what we've been using in the last week or 2. We adjusted from our original recipe because I think we were using too much baking soda. We like this adjusted recipe so far, but I'll let you know if we ever make any changes!

Here is what we're using right now!

Baking Soda Mixture - for those with hard water

1. Boil 4 cups of water and keep it boiling for 15 more minutes.

2. Turn off the heat and SLOWLY add 1/4 cup (used to be 1/2 cup... This lesser amount is working for us, too, so far) of baking soda. It'll fizzle!

3. Gently mix.

4. Let it cool and transfer to container (we use an old shampoo bottle).

* Only transfer the liquid if there's stuff on the bottom.

5. Add a few drops of tea tree oil.

- If you made the mixture correctly, your fingers should feel slippery when you touch it.

- To use: Don't wet your hair before using. Pour some of the mixture onto your scalp. Make circles and "massage" your scalp. Make sure it gets all over your scalp. I don't really put any on the rest of my hair. If you made the mixture correctly, your scalp should feel squeaky clean! Rinse thoroughly.

Apple Cider Vinegar Mixture

1. Mix 2 cups of water with 2 tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar.

2. Pour into your container of choice (we use an old shampoo bottle). That's all!

- To use: I put it only on my ends and avoid the scalp. I take my shower hair brush (it's all plastic) and brush out your hair. ACV is truly a natural conditioner and detangler! Rinse thoroughly.

You might need to adjust your baking soda and apple cider vinegar amounts, but this is what's working for me right now.

It takes time to adjust.

The baking soda mixture won't lather up.

Apple cider vinegar smells like... vinegar. I actually don't mind it at all. It completely disappears after your hair dries. My hair smells really nice, actually. :)

Oh, and remember how I said I think my skin is a lot clearer since going no 'poo?

It seems like I'm not the only one that experiences this. Strange, but a lot of no 'poo-ers notice that their face becomes smoother and more clear. :)

(Check out my first post here.)

What do you think about this whole "No 'Poo" thing?

Let me know if you try it out!

DIY Simple, No Sew T-shirt Bag!!

So, it's almost midnight here and what am I doing on a Friday night?

Pinterest-ing. Don't judge. (follow me!)

I came across this SUPER easy DIY recycled t-shirt bag by leethal.net.

It looked SO SO easy and simple... and I have so many t-shirts that are sitting in the "I'm-going-to-make-stuff-with-these-t-shirts" pile. I decided to try it out.

Right now.

The tutorial says it'll take 10 minutes, but honestly, it only took 5!!!!

No sewing required at ALL. All you need is a t-shirt, scissors, and a safety pin (or a bobby pin, I suppose).

Here it is!!

I'll be using it tomorrow at the farmer's market!

I'm so making more of these. I also have more t-shirt bags I want to make, so stay tuned!