This laundry soap is all
natural, contains no petroleum-based perfumes, no carcinogens,
no fillers and no phosphates, which makes it great for the
environment.
Because of its naturally
low-suds qualities, it is perfect for front-loading washing
machines! If you like, add a several drops of your favorite
essential oil to it at the end, and you'll have your own
personalized liquid laundry soap. Are you ready for the really
great part?
IT COSTS ONLY ONE PENNY
PER LOAD OF LAUNDRY!
If you're using the national
brands from the grocery store, you're spending about 25 cents
per load and paying for a lot of packaging. If you're buying
the environmentally-friendly laundry soap at the grocery
store, you're spending a lot more than that, and paying for a
lot of packaging too.
The ingredients can be purchased
at your local grocery store or at Target and you only have to
buy the stuff once a year.
Our family has been using
this recipe for almost a year now, and it gets our clothes
really clean, and takes only about 15 minutes to make a large
batch that washes about 110 loads of laundry (about a 3- month
supply of laundry soap for a family of 5, at 8 - 9 loads of
laundry per week.)
NATURAL
LIQUID LAUNDRY SOAP
4 Ingredients:
One 3.1-ounce
bar of Ivory Soap
1 cup 20 Mule
Team Borax
1/2 cup Arm &
Hammer Super Washing Soda
5 Cups + 3
Gallons of Water
4 Tools:
A large
container that will hold 3+gallons of liquid to mix up the
batch (we just use our large stock pot)
A knife to shave
the soap
A small pot that
will hold 5 cups of water
A long-handled
spoon
Put 5 cups of
hot tap water into the small pot and shave the bar of soap
into the pot of water. Turn the heat to medium and stir as the
soap begins to melt in the hot water. The soap should all be
melted just before the water begins to boil. This soapy water
does not need to boil.
Pour 3 gallons
of hot tap water into the large container. Now carefully pour
the hot, soapy water from the small pot into the large
container and stir.
Stir in the 1/2
cup of washing soda and continue to stir until dissolved. Stir
in the 1 cup of 20 mule team Borax and continue to stir until
dissolved. If you wish, add 6-8 drops of your favorite
essential oil. Cover the large container and let it cool over
night. The liquid will be white and cloudy, and possibly will
gel a bit.
To make it easy
to dispense, we use two 2.5 gallon drinking water dispensers
with the top handle and front spigot. Just cut a semi-circular
flap in the top to fill it. We keep the containers on a shelf
over the washer and dispense into a measuring cup.
Normal
use: 1/2 cup per load. Each batch washes about 110 loads of
laundry.
Homemade Organic
Laundry Starch
I love laundry
starch. It makes ironing so much easier. However, store-bought
starch often can damage old linens or have a synthetic that
does not decompose. Good news: it's super easy to make
homemade ironing starch with natural ingredients that easily
decomposes.
1 pint cool water
1 tablespoon corn starch
Dissolve corn starch into water and put into spray bottle. You
can use other starches as well, but corn starch is most
convenient. Also, the best kind of corn starch is organic
starch since it doesn't have the extra chemicals that come
with generic corn starch.
Regardless of what starch you use, make sure to shake before
each use to redissolve the starch. If you don't plan on using
it often, make small amounts or refrigerate the unused
portion; however, make sure to let the mixture return to room
temperature before you use it.
Here are five tips to save some cash,
improve your health and the health of the planet:
1. Make your own laundry detergent: Conventional laundry
detergent can cost as much as 50 cents a load and is laden
with chemicals and petroleum-based scents. By making your own
you can save tons of money. Our recipe calls for ingredients
that you can pick up at the grocery store and each load costs
less than 2 cents! Not only that but you can add a few drops
of essential oil and have an all-natural laundry soap that is
better for the environment and smells just the way you want it
to. All this, and a month’s supply takes just ten minutes to
make. For the recipe visit our web site
www.moderndayhuntergatherer.com
2.
Grow your own herbs: Pound for pound what is one of the most
expensive things in the grocery store? It’s not lobster or
filet mignon.
Its herbs. At my grocery store rosemary, thyme, marjoram,
sage, dill, and oregano are going for as much as $8.00 an
ounce. That’s $128.00 a pound! You can grow all of these herbs
right at home. A packet of herb seeds goes for about $1.50 and
you can grow enough herbs to last you a year. And you don’t
need to own a lot of acreage either. Most herbs can be grown
in a pot on a sunny window sill. The best part is when you
grow your own there are no worries about pesticides or
irradiation and fresh herbs are loaded with antioxidants,
vitamins and minerals. So spice up your life with some
homegrown herbs.
3. Foil those secret energy thieves: Don’t look now but
lurking in your house are secret energy thieves. I’m talking
about electrical appliances that suck energy even after you
think you’ve “turned them off.” The biggest culprits are
coffee makers, microwave ovens, toaster ovens, computers,
video games, Tvs, DVD players and printers just to name a few.
The best way to keep them from sucking hundreds of dollars out
of your wallet is to plug them into power strips, then
whenever you leave the house or go to bed turn them off at
the strip.
4. Fire your personal trainer: Times are tough and maybe
you’ve had to cut back on a few things. Usually during
difficult financial times one of the first things we get rid
of is our personal trainer. But there is a way to keep your
waistline from expanding while you tighten the belt on your
budget. It might even make you a few bucks! Nextfit
www.mynextfit.com/kentburden
offers workouts from some of the world’s top
personal
trainers (including yours truly) in a portable device
you can take anywhere. It’s an
mp3 player
the size of a cigarette lighter that plugs into the USB port
of any computer. It is simple and easy to use—you plug it in,
download a custom workout made especially for you and you
goals. Then unplug it, and take it anywhere. You get unlimited
workouts for just $25.00 a month. Considering personal
training goes for $50- $150 a session, that’s a real bargain.
And if you’re the entrepreneurial type you can sell these
devises yourself. For more info go to
www.mynextfit.com/kentburden
5. Light up your life…for less: Maybe you’ve been meaning
to change out all your old light bulbs for the new energy
efficient bulbs but haven’t gotten around to it. Well here are
a few reasons to “git er done”.
Efficient: CFLs are four times more efficient and last
up to 10 times longer than incandescent. A 22 watt CFL has
about the same light output as a 100 watt incandescent. CFLs
use 50 - 80% less energy than incandescents.
Less Expensive: Although initially more expensive, you save
money in the long run because CFLs use 1/3 the electricity and
last up to 10 times as long as incandescents. A single 18 watt
CFL used in place of a 75 watt incandescent will save about
570 kWh over its lifetime. At 8 cents per kWh, that equates to
a $45 savings.
Reduces Air and Water Pollution: Replacing a single
incandescent bulb with a CFL will keep a half-ton of
CO2 out of the atmosphere over the life of the bulb. If
everyone in the U.S. used energy-efficient lighting, we could
retire 90 average size power plants.
Saving electricity reduces CO2 emissions, sulfur oxide
and high-level nuclear waste.
High-Quality Light: Newer CFLs give a warm, inviting light
instead of the "cool white" light of older fluorescents. They
use rare earth phosphors for excellent color and warmth. New
electronically ballasted CFLs don't flicker or hum.
Versatile: CFLs can be applied nearly anywhere that
incandescent
lights are used. Energy-efficient CFLs can be used in
recessed fixtures, table lamps, track lighting, ceiling
fixtures and porchlights. 3-way CFLs are also now available
for lamps with 3-way settings. Dimmable CFLs are also
available for lights using a
dimmer switch.
2.
Grow your own herbs: Pound for pound what is one of the most
expensive things in the grocery store? It’s not lobster or