Current Mood: Happy

So I’ve seen several mentions of people making their own laundry soap, and thought that I would give it a whirl. The top Google search brought me to this blog, with lots of positive comments, so I went ahead and made it, with my own variation, looking at the comment section. Also looking at the comments, people were quacking about “Why bother?” …Well, why not? It’s really not difficult. You’d just be sitting around looking at crap on the Internet or watching TV anyway. And it saves money.

Please read all of my notes before marching down to the store.

All of these ingredients I found at the local grocery store (Dierbergs, for locals), in the laundry section.
I grated the naptha (which is a bar of laundry soap) with a cheese grater, but on the blog post, several others had success using food processors. Your mileage may vary.
You’re also gonna need a bucket. I used our three gallon mop/car wash/household cleaner bucket. Make sure you clean out any other soap residue.
I used a whisk for all my stirrings, but I found that it was either rusting, or the soap was taking the existing rust off of the metal; there were streaks of rust in the suds.

• 1 cup washing soda
• 1/2 cup borax
• 1/2 bar fels naptha, grated
• 1 cup Oxi Clean (the original powder)
• Warm water
• Smelly oils, if you like*

Fill your bucket with, oh, 2 or 2 1/2 gallons of warm water. Bear in mind you’re going to dump in another quart of water, so don’t overfill it. You may also be transporting this bucket (20/20 hindsight here!). Dump in the washing soda, borax, and Oxi Clean.

Boil a quart or so (that’s 4 cups for the measurement-challenged) water on the stove and add soap shavings. Stir until dissolved. It’s soap, don’t inhale the soapy water vapor, mmkay? Once it’s dissolved, turn off the stove and dump it in the bucket. Slowly. Don’t want to splash it, it’s boiling concentrated soap and will make a sticky mess! [Side note: Hubby felt like he was cooking up home made napalm while stirring the cooking soap. (!)] Stir stir stir the bucket.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I started my batch in the kitchen. I don’t dig the  idea of carrying boiling water down to my basement. So it had to be transported down the stairs. The original post said the bucket should be covered, but I really don’t know why. So I didn’t. He also said let it sit for 24 hours, and when it’s done it’ll be super lumpy. Eww. I stir mine a lot, and with a whisk. There are some lumps, but they are minor. It *will* separate. So when you’ve got it in its final container, bear in mind you’re going to have to stir/shake/something.

I just happen to have a whole boatload of laundry bottles kicking around in my laundry area. I’m not sure how it ended up that way, but I have two detergent and three  fabric softener bottles, all with stuff in them! I will store my detergent in these bottles.

Based on the directions and the comments on the original blog, I am using 1/2 cup of this detergent.  Here is what I have observed:

• No suds.
  You’ll see some in your bucket, but there’s no suds in the wash. My washer hose fell out of the drain (which is common) and the wash water draining out had zero sudsing action. For the record, those suds in the bucket harden if you don’t keep it mixed up.
• No smell.
  If you don’t like having your clothes overpowering your perfume, or if you have an allergy to perfumes, you are going to love this. If you do like clean-smelling laundry (like I do), see below.
• Good for sensitive skin.
  I have super duper sensitive skin. I break out in a rash over most soaps, but not this one! Just to test it (my son has allergies too), I dunked my hand in the bucket and left the soap on my skin for about five minutes. I’ve had no allergic reaction to it… but my skin on that hand is super dried out. Not recommended. Just take my word for it.
• Clothes come out soft.
  They will have static, but those dumb lil sheets never helped me! I think I will test vinegar for liquid fabric softener… Although the smell kind of repels me. I have plenty of laundry to test on!
• No phosphates.
  Better for the environment n stuff. I didn’t feel so bad when my washer hose knocked out and drained into my sump pump.
• Better for the environment.
  You aren’t throwing a bunch of plastic bottles into landfills (or burning energy on recycling them). Just some easily broken-down boxes.
• Cheaper.
  All of this stuff will make three to four batches of soap, with the exception of the bar of naptha, and the first batch costs less than a bottle high-end detergent… which will last much longer.
• A sense of accomplishment.
  You can say “Oh yeah, I made my own laundry soap!” Of course, most people will look at you like you’re the crazy cat lady.

*If you like smellies, I recommended smelly oils in the recipe. I can’t recommend to you how much smelly oil to use, but I would recommend using less. Because the only smelly oil I have is some ancient patchouli, and I don’t want to walk around smelling like dirty hippie, I used a tablespoon or so of Febreeze (well okay, a cheap knock-off). The first load had no smell, so I’ve added another tablespoon for the next load. I plan on repeating this until I have a light, clean smell. I would recommend about 10 drops of scented oil. Just bear in mind that the detergent isn’t going to have the same scent strength as the clothes. You don’t want to overpower everyone! Also remember that everyone in your family is going to be wearing this scent. I doubt your teenage son wants to smell like roses in gym.

You are working with household chemicals!
Take one simple precaution: Read the label. Yes. Please do. Because reading the label of the Oxi Clean will give you this one very important warning:
Do not mix with products containing ammonia or chlorine bleach, or with other household chemicals.
So if you commonly use ammonia to wash your clothes, or like to give your laundry an occasional bleach boost (I do neither), leave out the Oxi Clean. This will cause harmful fumes. Just because you can buy these things at the grocery store doesn’t mean that they aren’t hazardous. And for the record… you’ve now got the basic ingredients for making super flammable fuel (obviously not mixed in this way!). How do I know? I had chemistry class in school, and am married to a man who was a destructive teenage boy in his earlier years.
And duh, we don’t let our kids eat the stuff. Put it away.

Variations:
If you have hard water you will need to add a water softener to it. I’ve not had hard water since I was very young, so I can’t really tell you exactly what to get. From what I gathered in the comments of the original post, 1/4 cup of water softener salt mixed in should do the trick. Pick it up at a hardware store or (?) pool section of a larger department store (?).
2 tablespoons glycerin – This was suggested by readers for cold water use.
Grind down the fels naptha bar super fine, then mix all the ingredients together for a dry detergent.

Can’t find ingredients you need locally?  Check out http://www.soapsgonebuy.com/

Bear in mind, this is my first batch. I don’t know a lot about what it does to your washer or dryer. I don’t have an HE washer, but according to the comments you would use half the detergent you’d use in a top-loader.

And on the original blog, comment #147 is priceless. If you find it offensive, then you certainly shouldn’t be reading any of my other blog posts!

Since having gotten a house, our utility bills have gone way up. We’ve gone from only paying for electricity in a small two bedroom apartment to paying for electricity, gas, water, and trash in our house (sewer is paid by the property owner), plus our living space is a lot larger. We no longer have an apartment upstairs to leech free cooling in the summer from, along with a thick layer of insulating floor above us to help keep the heat in in the winter.

I have been watching sites to see what they have to say about saving energy. In particular, Green By Design, Mr. Electricity (he quantifies power usage), and TipHero (user-submitted tips).

With looking at all these different sites I decided to compile my own list of simple things that I do to save utilities that costs little or no money. And remember… “Save $5 a month!” here and “Save $2 a month!” there really adds up! And yeah, it really is better for the environment.

Laundry

• Use a solar-powered clothes dryer, aka a clothesline.
  Check with your local homeowner’s association or municipality to be sure that you can have a clothesline.
  A load of clothes in the dryer can cost 35¢-70¢, depending on your dryer. I have an older dryer, it takes over an hour to dry a load of towels.
  Don’t like the stiff feeling of your clothes dried on the line? I toss mine in the dryer when they are still a little damp for about ten minutes to knock out the scratchies and wrinkles.
  Don’t like the look of the poles in the yard, or concerned about safety? Get the umbrella-style and remove it when you’re finished using it. Tips for putting up clotheslines here.
• Wash in cold water.
• If you need the extra heat in your wash, adjust the water knobs going into  your washer to make the warm cycle about the temperature of a warm shower.
• Do you really need to run your washer on the longest wash setting?
• Only run full loads, or at least adjust your washer’s load size.
• Use the auto-sensing feature of your dryer.
• Clean your lint trap after every load.
  And put it in the garbage. And make sure everyone else puts it in the garbage. Not behind the dryer. Dryer lint is very flammable.
• Clean out your dryer hose.
  Not only does it reduce your drying time, it is also safer. Again, lint can catch on fire! You can buy a brush at a hardware store.

More energy saving tips for the laundry here.

Computers

• Shut down at night
  I know, I know, I’m a HUGE proponent for keeping your computer on at night… That’s when it downloads updates and runs virus scans! Leave it on once a week or so.
• Disable hibernation (sleep mode).
  It’s a waste of electricity. Shut that puppy down.
• Turn your monitor off when you shut down.
  If your monitor is on “standby” it’s going to continue to use electricity.
• Disable your screen saver.
  Set your computer to turn the monitor off instead. The screen saver continues to run in the background (even when the computer’s shut the monitor off!), eating CPU cycles and not allowing it to step all the the way down to use less electricity. ESPECIALLY the pretty ones, like the scenery and 3D screen savers.
• Get a new computer.
  The newer ones are more energy efficient.
• Get a new monitor.
  Been thinking about upgrading your huge old CRT to a sleek new LCD? Do it, they are more energy efficient.
• Use a laptop.
  They use less electricity than desktops.
• Turn off the lights when computing.
  It’s not bad for the eyes, really.
• Don’t leave games running when you’re not using the computer.
  This is a big one that I have to get on to my kids about CONSTANTLY. They lose computer privileges over it.

Electronic vampires

• “Standby” is a power eater!
  As I sit here and look at my television with the DVD player and surround sound system, I see three little lights. The TV, stereo, and DVD player are all on standby, awaiting my command. Put it on an accessible power strip, kill the switch when not in use. Oh yeah, that power strip is eating power too.
• Cable box. Turn it off.
• Battery chargers.
  If you’re not currently charging a battery, unplug it. You can also put them all on a power strip and kick it off when not in use… Plus all your chargers are in one spot!
  This goes for your laptop’s power cord. It’s always on when it’s plugged in, even when the laptop’s shut down or undocked!
• Kitchen appliances (the little ones).
  My microwave, coffee maker, and stove all have digital clocks on them. I don’t use them to tell time, because I have a really neat wall clock that uses two AA batteries every three years. Confession: I don’t dig behind my stove to unplug it.
  Other gadgets and do-dads can also suck power.

There’s always the power-saving power strips that kill standby power sucks. I don’t know anything about them, but I have seen them in the store. Feel free to give them a peek.

Check out Green By Design’s power phantom post.

Heating/cooling

• Summer – 78°-80° Winter – 66°-68°
  Yeah, quit being a weenie. This is going to save you the most money, and you know it.
• Adjust it at night or when you’re gone.
• Open your windows!
  Yes, it’s much easier to just let the AC grind on and on when it’s somewhat cool outside, rather than having to run around and open them when it’s cool then close them when it gets warm. How easy is it for you to work for the money that’s paying your electricity?
  Plus it airs out your house, no one likes to have a stale-smelling living area!
• Use your attic fan if you have one.
• Get a digital thermostat.
  And program it. If you can’t read the manual, find someone that can. These can save some serious power.
• Check with your power company!
  My power company, AmerenIP, offers free digital thermostats, installed! The reason? So they can get a better handle on peak usage. These puppies hook up to the Internet, AmerenIP cycles them during peak usage (we have peak power premium costs in IL). I don’t know how they work beyond that, or I’d give a review. I need to send in my form.
• Weather-strip your doors and windows.
  Don’t get the cheapest stuff you can find. Trust me. It falls off. Also make sure you get the right size. Again, I am speaking from experience. Figure out the depth of the gap that you need to fill and the width of your door frame. You need these measurements, or it’s going to be like going to the store for new window blinds and not knowing the size of your window. And don’t be too lazy to not swipe a wet cloth along it to knock off the dust… Do this while measuring so it’s clean and dry when you go to install it.
  Install it in the morning. That way there’s less undesirable temperature coming in while you’ve got the doors and windows wide open.
• Put plastic on your windows in the winter.
  Even if you have the super high efficiency ones. It’s a hole in the wall. Cover it.
• Use your storm windows.
• Got a doggy door? Make sure it’s insulated!
  I don’t have any experience with these, but I can imagine that the old ones are pretty leaky.
• Got a mail slot? Insulate that too.
  I don’t have any experience with these either.
• Shut off the vents in unused rooms.
• Tell the kids: In or out!
• Use ceiling fans.
  Counter-clockwise in the summer, clockwise in the winter.
• Hang out in the basement.
  If you have a basement and it isn’t livable, fix it! Your basement is going to be more comfortable year-round than your regular living space. It can also allow you to keep your heat and air running less.
• Use your central air fan.
  Setting your fan from auto to on kicks just the fan on. It keeps the air moving, and if you have a basement it will recirculate the more comfortable air from that area.

Dishwashing

• Wash by hand.
  Yeah, lazy. It uses a lot less energy and water. And since I’ve started hand-washing my dishes, I’ve noticed they look a lot brighter and cleaner!
• Don’t pre-wash before washing.
  Your dishwasher is made to wash dishes. No need to pre-wash them. If you’re going to pre-wash.. Why bother putting them in the dishwasher at all? Of course you should scrape and rinse the big stuff off, though!
  Got something particularly nasty? Leave it in the sink with some water to soak for a while.
• Run only full loads.
  If you don’t generate enough dishes to have a full load before it starts getting really stinky, maybe you really should consider hand-washing your dishes.
• Don’t use the hot dry.
  Not only is it bad for your plastics (especially the hard plastic dishes), it’s expensive!
• Don’t use the super-heat wash option.
  Your water heater should be hot enough without boiling your plates.
  Again, it’s bad for your plastics.
• Clean your dishwasher.
  The rotating arms and the bottom filter can get really filthy with use. The arms recycle the wash water, and bits of food and gunk build up in them and clog them. Yuck! This will result in poor performance, and you’ll be re-washing those dishes.
• Don’t use the heaviest setting unless you really need it.

Miscellaneous

• Take a short shower.
  If this is how you wake up in the morning, find something else to wake up! Stretches, mild yoga, a cup of coffee. You can be fully bathed in ten minutes or less. Shave outside of the shower.
• Don’t use a hair dryer.
  If you’re not going somewhere that you absolutely must have coiffed hair for, why not let it dry naturally? Not only does it save electricity, but it also reduces styling damage to your hair. Personally, I don’t usually use styling stuff for my hair, so when I know I’m going to have a long commute I will leave with my hair wet, then brush it when I get to my destination. And yes, I always pack a brush in my car!
• Turn off the TV & game consoles.
  Because my son is so terrible about this, he now loses privileges to these items when he leaves them on.
• Turn off ceiling fans when not in use.
• Use CF bulbs
  Compact florescent bulbs are still more expensive than their regular light bulb counterparts, but their savings are substantial when you use them throughout the house, or at least in  your high-usage lights. Again, check with your power company: AmerenIP has CF bulbs for $1 each! Be careful, gents, in changing your lady’s makeup mirror lights though. The florescent doesn’t have the same natural kind of light that regular bulbs do.
  CF  bulbs can’t be tossed in the trash. Don’t do it. They have to be recycled, take them to the local (big box) hardware store.
• Turn your water heater down to 120 (or lower).
  Not only does it save power, but it also can save your children (and even  yourself) from being scalded.

I know that there’s a whole lot more that can be done to save power. I’ll add to this list as I think of it, and you are more than welcome to add to the list in the comments!