Healthy Living - Part 1

I am going to begin a new series here on Crazylou, I hope you join me and invite your friends. Recently I was asked to attend a gathering at a neighbor's house. She was going to show us how simple it is to make our own natural products at home. Boy, am I glad I went! I didn't realize how easy and inexpensive it was to make your own products. And the benefits of it being natural is enough in itself!

So the first natural product I am going to share with you is the laundry soap. I couldn't believe how easily it came together. One thing is for certain though, if you use the powder version (the one I'm sharing today), you should probably invest in a inexpensive small food processor that you will use only for these natural products. (well, at least I am!)

Next, check your local grocery store, most often the larger stores will have a natural food area or natural product aisle where you can purchase most of these. Otherwise, I will include links to other inexpensive online stores you can order from. My neighbor also suggested checking out local Natural Food stores, too. We happen to have 2 in our immediate area. The prices listed below are what I found at our local store. Your area may be higher or lower. I've noticed that the online stores are a bit higher, too, but maybe more convenient!

Homemade Natural Laundry Soap (powder)
from Krista Brinkmeyer

1 box of 20 Mule Team Borax (76 oz)
1 Container Oxyclean (3 lbs)
1 box of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (55 oz)
1 bar of Fels Naptha Soap
3 bars of Dr. Bronners or Kirks Castile Soap

Shred all four bars of soap in food processor. (Krista notes: it is soap, which is clean, so you can just put it in the dishwasher, no need to purchase a new one)
Open all the containers and dump into a 5 gallon bucket that has a lid. (You can purchase one at your local hardware store, Home Depot, Lowe's, etc.)
Once your soap is shredded, dump it into the bucket. Secure lid and mix it up well.

To use: Add 1 Tbls to a large load of laundry  plus 1/4 c of white vinegar for fabric softener.

This is approximately 300 loads or 6 months worth of laundry soap!

Cost breakdown (at my local store):
Borax = $3.59
Oxyclean = $6.99
Arm & Hammer Washing Soda = $2.99
Fels Naptha Soap = $1.09
Dr. Bronners ($3.49/bar) or Kirks Castile Soap ($1.29/bar) = $10.47 or $3.87
Bucket = $5
Total = $30.13 (using Dr. Bronners) or $.10/load!
          = $23.53 (using Kirks) or  $.08/load!

GET OUT OF TOWN!!--isn't that so cheap??? Plus, using white vinegar for your fabric softener really works! No more nasty chemical filled dryer sheets needed!

For a printable recipe of this laundry soap, click HERE.

She showed us how to make many other homemade goodies. I'll share them with you soon. Here's a picture of all the samples I took home with me!

So, what do you think? Are you going to try this? Or do you already?

Here are the links to purchase these online through Amazon.com:
Borax Laundry Booster, 76 oz Box
Church & Dwight Co 03020 Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
Fels Naptha Laundry Bar and Stain Remover, 5.5 Ounce
Oxiclean Versatile Stain Remover Free, 3 Pounds
Castile Soap Original (3pk) 4 Ounces
Bar Soap Organic-Lavender 5 Ounces
Encore 250003 70-Mil Regrind Pail/Bucket, Black, 5-Gallon