Laundry Soap

Who loves the fresh scent of cleanliness without all the chemical yuckiness? I know I do. I started making my own laundry soap as a means to clean my son's diapers. Homemade laundry soap smells of what you put in it. It doesn't stink of chemical perfumes and who knows what's. Sometimes I add a couple drops of lavendar or tea tree essential oil to my fabric softener ball, that is filled with vinegar, to add some beautiful scent and also cleans my clothes that much more.

Here's the basic recipe for laundry soap, which of course I double/triple as needed. The recipe below washes around 20-30 loads:

1 bar unscented soap (I used homemade plain lard soap, but you can use any soap you prefer to use)
1 cup Washing Soda (this isn't the easiest to find. It's always located in the laundry soap isle, but I have only found it at one local store, Fred Meyers)
1/2 cup borax


Grate up the bar of soap

Add all of the ingredients into a food processor or blender. Blend until everything is powdered finely.

To use I add 2 Tablespoons to a load. When I wash cloth diapers I add a handful (roughly 1/2 cup) of baking soda to help neutralize the smells and fill my downy fabric softener ball with vinegar (roughly 1-4/-1/2 cup). The baking soda and vinegar help to neutralize scents and keep the clothes smelling clean.

If you make your own laundry soap, please share your recipe. Shoot....if you make your own dishwasher soap, etc. please share because I'm looking to make as many things from scratch as I can.

Definition: Modern Homemaker

I feel it's necessary to begin this blog with my definition of a modern homemaker. Of course, this is my opinion and by no means official.

Modern Homaker: Someone (man or woman, married or single) who takes care of their home in a positive manner using as many resources as possible. When I say resources I'm talking about using things that are already available, something that can be made and not bought, or something that can be borrowed. Being a modern homemaker is all about simplicity and keeping life as close to nature as you desire. It's all about using products that can be reused (hence the picture of cloth diapers hanging on my neighbors line), figuring out ways to reuse things that are manufactured to throw away (i.e. keeping toilet paper tubes to make rainsticks or other crafts), and creating as many things from scratch instead of buying buying buying.

Everyday I learn more on how to become a modern homemaker by my own defintion and will continue to learn everyday. I hope to use this blog to communicate methods that have worked for me in creating a wonderful home. I really enjoy reading how others create, cook, and their detailed instructions, so I'm determined to provide as much "how to" details so everyone can try.

Keep your eyes open for wonderful posts on how to make laundry soap, graham crackers, etc.... I'm excited to share the knowledge