Hello Everyone
Okay I tried to keep it so that my posts take place every
Thursday. Well, I missed it this week, sorry.
During this journey we (my wife & I) do quite a bit of
reading on how we can make our lives a bit more GREEN. Over the past few weeks
we decided to give it a go; make our own fabric softener and laundry detergent.
I was truly amazed how quickly she got on board with the idea. Sure you can
save a few dollars by doing this but that wasn’t the goal. The object was to
create and use something that would keep harmful chemicals out of the water
system. (By the way I was ecstatic that my wife was willing to give this a
try). So I let her make the decision on which recipe to follow (there are
thousands of them) and we went out to purchase the necessary items. For the
most part the many recipes are similar; each just increases or decreases the
amount of the ingredients. Laundry soap is bar soap, Borax and washing soda.
Fabric softener is baking soda, white vinegar and an essential oil (she chose tangerine).
Mix the ingredients as called for and then put them to work.
So far, we have washed a few loads and have been happy with the
outcome. The only thing that needs some work is the static cling. It’s not bad
but it is present and I’m sure with a little reading we can find a solution. If
you would like to follow the recipe we have tried just let me know and I will send
it to you. Or, if you have
solution to the static cling, let me know.
Until next week, happy reading.
Bob
Oh nice ... and great that you are both willing to give it a try. I typically use a full 1/2 cup of vinegar in my rinse water ... that takes care of the static cling for me. I read that many (if not all) commercial laundry detergents include brighteners in their detergents. It's a substance added to the detergent to give clothes a brighter look and the illusion of being clean. In reality they aren't. Natural detergents don't include those brighteners so may not look at white & bright but, with very few uses, one will begin to notice a cleaner scent and feel ... and the clothes will last longer. Thanks, as always, for sharing your experiences with us!
ReplyDeleteThanks, I'll try more vinegar.
DeleteIf you have static cling I imagine you are using a clothes dryer. Why not try hanging clothes on a clothes horse or on a clothes line if the weather is dry. I love the smell of sunshine on the clothes but in winter we have to dry them inside. I've used homemade laundry detergent for ages and think it's great!
ReplyDeleteLinda thank you for your suggestion. Once I get my garden area planned out I will pursue the clothes line.
DeleteBob