Blue Dog’s Blog

I’ve been a busy beaver! I’ve been writing TESL lesson plans, working on the on-line loom< –>needle conversion app and finishing the knitting board section for Loom Knitting Help. I hope to have a beta of the conversion app available soon but in the meantime, you’ll be able to enjoy the rest of the knitting board section. For those of you looking for TESL lesson plans, they will be added to TESOL Help shortly. Stay tuned for the launching of ESOL Help for our local ESL Book Club.To make up for the time I’ve been away, I thought I’d post two fun ways to save money and be kind to the environment at the same time. Make your own laundry detergent! Both the liquid and the powdered version are gentle. For my loom knitting friends out there, they work great on knitted fabrics, whether you use synthetic or natural yarns. The cost comes out to about 3¢ per load and it’s very simple to make. Neither detergent “suds up” very much but don’t let that dissuade you. Your clothes will come out very clean, better than with commercial detergents. Combined with 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar (or 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar and 1/2 cup baking soda) for your fabric softener during the final rinse and you have an earth-friendly, cheap way of doing laundry. This is also supposed to make a great dishwashing detergent but I haven’t had a chance to try it yet as I’m still working on the Seventh Generation that I currently have. I will post how it works after I’ve tried it. There’s no reason why it shouldn’t work in the dishwasher, though, since it doesn’t “suds up.” Add 1 1/2 cup to 2 cups white distilled vinegar in the bottom of dishwasher along with this soap and you’ll be all set.The two recipes below are sans frangrance. If you would like to add fragrance to your detergent, add 1t-2T of essential oil and stir/mix after step 6 for the liquid version and step 1 of the powdered version.

Liquid Laundry Detergent Recipe

Ingredients & Tools

• 4 cups tap water and 3 gallons hot tap water
• 1 bar Castile or Marseille soap, grated
• 1 cup Sodium Carbonate (aka washing soda or soda ash)
• 1 cup Borax
• 5 Gallon Bucket with lid
• Old laundry bottles washed out well, enough to store 3 gallons of the final product
• 1 long wooden spoons
• Pair of rubber gloves (optional)

Directions

1. Bring 4 cups of water almost to a boil (do not let it boil).
2. Turn down the heat to low and stir in the grated soap with the wooden spoon. Congratulations, you’ve made very soapy water.
3. Pour the 3 gallons of hot tap water into the 5 gallon bucket.
4. Add the very soapy water and stir for about 5 minutes with the wooden spoon.
5. Add the sodium carbonate and continue stirring for 2 minutes.
6. Add the borax and continue stirring for another 2 minutes.
7. Cover the bucket with the lid and let it sit overnight (about 24 hours).
8. Mixture will thicken and will be a slightly lighter shade of whatever color the soap was that you used. Pour into the empty laundry detergent bottles for storage.
9. Use 1/2 cup of mixture per load for a total of 48 loads.

I prefer to use filtered tap water for this recipe but you don’t have to.You can use any kind of soap that you’d like. I prefer all vegetable soaps since I’m vegetarian plus I try to buy soaps that are handmade locally (check out the PCC). I’m told that milk-based and tallow soaps work well too. If you use Fels Naptha, you should use only 1/3 bar instead of a whole bar due to its size. Sodium Carbonate (Washing Soda) and Borax can be found in the laundry section of the grocery store. Both can be used for cleaning around the house and their boxes can be recycled. By making your own detergent, you help cut down on the fossil fuel needed to make commercial laundry detergent and its packaging. Two boxes of Sodium Carbonate and one box of Borax will make about 12 recipes (a total of 576 loads)!

Powdered Laundry Detergent Recipe

Ingredients & Tools

• 2 cups Castile or Marseille soap, grated
• 1 cup Sodium Carbonate (aka washing soda or soda ash)
• 1 cup Borax
• 1 quart container with lid
• Rubber gloves (optional)

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients and place it a container with a lid.
2. For light load, use 1 T. For heavy or very soiled load, use 2 T.

Like the liquid version, you can use any kind of soap that you’d like. You can also use 2 cups of soap flakes such as Ivory Snow those of you interested in making vegan/vegetarian products should avoid this.