I have totally discounted the power and ease of using vinegar and baking soda. "Well duh," you may say, and I would totally deserve it. I have read hundreds of blogs and facebook posts about people using the all powerful and magical solution of water, vinegar, and baking soda in their homes and I poo-poo'd it for quite some time. I've tried it (sort of) at my mother's house and at my own, but I really didn't see the power in it. However, I think it is because the strength of my solution was not right. I don't think I was using enough vinegar.
Anyway, I came across a wonderful blog (shared via facebook) on The Top Green Cleaning Tips and I think my eyes have finally been opened. This blog is a must read for anyone searching for an alternative to store bought cleaners.
Anyone ever watch the British show How Clean Is Your House? I loved their tips, but I could never remember them. However, I do remember that they always shouted the praise of baking soda and vinegar when it came to hard water build up on sinks and faucets. Now, thanks to the beautiful world of the internet and my beloved bookmarks (side note: If I ever lose my bookmarks I think I would totally have a breakdown. They have been my lifeline in many circumstances.) I am going to implement these in my house. I have been really dreading cleaning, especially scrubbing the bathtub because I just can't stand the smell of chemical store bought cleaners; especially now that I am pregnant. And if you see my shower you will know that it is in dire need of a good scrubbing.
So, I will scratch the floor cleaner off my shopping list (*cha-ching* saved some money there) and I'll dust off the big, poor neglected bottle of vinegar on my detergent shelf. The question is whether I should just use up the cleaners I have under my sink and then use the natural cleaners, or just jump right in.
On my journey towards "cleaner" living (and if anyone knows me I still have a long way to go), I've decided to take a big step and make my own laundry detergent. My motivation actually came from my good friend Sharon when she shared a recipe from the diyNatural website. I won't post the whole recipe here since you can get a detailed instruction from the site. Basically it only requires equal parts of three ingredients: Soap (like Fels Naptha), Borax, Washing Soda. Simple right?
The making and mixing of it was fairly easy. I used an old cheese grater and started shaving away. No one told me that making my own soap was also a muscle toning workout. After what I thought was an eternity and 20 questions from my 3 year old as to what I was doing with the cheese (yeah, she kept calling the soap cheese), I finally had it all grated. I then added a cup each of the Borax and Washing Soda. And in case anyone was wondering there is a difference between Washing Soda and Baking Soda (I actually had to research it because I didn't know the difference). The Diaper Pin has a great article about the differences between Washing Soda and Baking Soda.
I then began the recommended 5 minutes of mixing. So I actually set my timer and began mixing. Again with my 3 year old on the stool asking various questions about my "cheese", I mixed away. However, it just wasn't combining like they showed on the site. They had used a bar of Ivory soap, so don't know if the type of soap matters, but I just was not able to get a fine looking powder. Well, and it doesn't help that the Fels Naptha is yellow and the Borax and Washing Soda are white. Anyway, so I did some more reading and came across a post by naturalhealthezine.com on making your own laundry soap. They recommended cutting the soap into chunks and put it through a food processor. So that is what I did.
