I can't believe how easy it is to make your own liquid laundry soap! From what I understand it even works on the HE Front Loaders! I used to have to use Fragrance Free laundry detergent but I have not had a problem using this soap and clothes smell fresh!
The ingredients can be found in the laundry aisle of most grocery stores.
Preparation Step One:
Get a 3+ gallon bucket with lid. You may purchase one or obtain one for free at Sams Club, Costco or other bakery department. Just ask for the frosting buckets they are discarding. You will need to wash it, but hey, it's free! (Do NOT pour the detergent into an old laundry soap container, you will need to store it in the bucket. It gets very, very thick after it cools and will not be able to be poured.)
Preparation Step Two:
Purchase an extra 1/2 Cup measuring cup, which can be found at most Dollar stores. You can also check the measurement of the current liquid laundry soap cup you have now, some are 1/2 cup.
Recipe:
1 bar Fels Naptha Soap- grated (you may want to get a cheese grater from the $Store)
1 cup Washing Soda
1 cup Borax
2 1/2 gallons water (40 cups)- boiling
Put grated soap in bucket.
Add one gallon of boiling water and stir (with wooden spoon you will not use for cooking, plastic or metal spoon or paint stir stick) to combine.
Add Washing Soda and Borax and mix well.
Add additional 1 1/2 gallons of boiling water and stir to combine.
Use 1/2 cup for normal dirty loads and 1 cup for really dirty loads.
*Helpful Hints*
- 20 cups of water fit well in a soup pot. I boil 20 cups, add to grated soap and while stirring the other ingredients bring the other 20 cups to a boil and then add. Cover the pot with a lid to help it boil faster.
- Make soap kits by placing the dry ingredients into plastic bags (1 for the grated Fels Naptha soap, one for the Washing Soda and Borax). When you need to make more just pull them out and add the boiling water. These also make great gifts!
Thanks Nikki for this wonderful idea!
Let the money saving begin!!!
Monday, June 28, 2010
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Produce Time Saver
We all know we need to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables but what keeps us from doing that as often as we should? TIME! It just takes too much time to wash, peel, de-seed, cut and clean up; it is just not as convenient as, say, a bag of cookies or chips.
Therefore, we need to make fruit and veggie eating as convenient as cookie and chip eating! How do we do that you ask? We simply change the way we put away the produce when we get home from the store. Instead of throwing it right in the fridge, take a few more minutes to do a mass washing, peeling and cutting of the produce.
Here are some examples:
Apples- wash and cut, then put them in individual bags or plastic containers. If the brown color bothers you, sprinkle with lemon juice, ascorbic acid or 'Fruit Fresh' before closing container.
Celery- wash and cut, then put in a bag or container filled with water.
Carrots- wash, peel and cut into desired shape (coin, matchstick, diced, etc) then put in a bag or container filled with water.
Broccoli or Cauliflower- wash and cut then place in a bag or container with a damp paper towel.
Bell Pepper- wash, de-seed, cut into slices for snacking or dice for cooking and salads.
Tomato or Onion- wash, then slice or dice. Or better yet, buy cherry tomatoes for snacking and salads.
Strawberries- wash, stem, then slice or dice (use within 3 days of cutting)
Lemon or Lime- wash, then slice for a convenient way to add to beverages or make lemon/lime-ade. These freeze well for future use and then they can double as ice cubes.
This list could go on and on, but I think you get the idea. This method will help us enjoy more nutritious snacks and make cooking with produce much easier.
I do not recommend doing this with Avocados, Peaches, Plums or Nectarines.
As a bonus time saver, pre-sort groups of veggies for snacks and salad kits. Place in a few bags or containters a mix of broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and celery or red, yellow, orange or green bell pepper and tomoatoes. Change it up so you don't get bored and simply grab a bag to munch on, take to work, on the road or to make a quick salad. You can even pour a small amount of your favorite dip into several containers to grab along w/ your goodie bag.
You will literally save hours each week using this method, not to mention the huge benefit of eating healthier! This is also much more cost effective than buying the pre-packaged individual servings of produce found in the grocery store and you get more of a variety.
If you have any questions about this or any other post, please don't hesitate to send me a message.
Therefore, we need to make fruit and veggie eating as convenient as cookie and chip eating! How do we do that you ask? We simply change the way we put away the produce when we get home from the store. Instead of throwing it right in the fridge, take a few more minutes to do a mass washing, peeling and cutting of the produce.
Here are some examples:
Apples- wash and cut, then put them in individual bags or plastic containers. If the brown color bothers you, sprinkle with lemon juice, ascorbic acid or 'Fruit Fresh' before closing container.
Celery- wash and cut, then put in a bag or container filled with water.
Carrots- wash, peel and cut into desired shape (coin, matchstick, diced, etc) then put in a bag or container filled with water.
Broccoli or Cauliflower- wash and cut then place in a bag or container with a damp paper towel.
Bell Pepper- wash, de-seed, cut into slices for snacking or dice for cooking and salads.
Tomato or Onion- wash, then slice or dice. Or better yet, buy cherry tomatoes for snacking and salads.
Strawberries- wash, stem, then slice or dice (use within 3 days of cutting)
Lemon or Lime- wash, then slice for a convenient way to add to beverages or make lemon/lime-ade. These freeze well for future use and then they can double as ice cubes.
This list could go on and on, but I think you get the idea. This method will help us enjoy more nutritious snacks and make cooking with produce much easier.
I do not recommend doing this with Avocados, Peaches, Plums or Nectarines.
As a bonus time saver, pre-sort groups of veggies for snacks and salad kits. Place in a few bags or containters a mix of broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and celery or red, yellow, orange or green bell pepper and tomoatoes. Change it up so you don't get bored and simply grab a bag to munch on, take to work, on the road or to make a quick salad. You can even pour a small amount of your favorite dip into several containers to grab along w/ your goodie bag.
You will literally save hours each week using this method, not to mention the huge benefit of eating healthier! This is also much more cost effective than buying the pre-packaged individual servings of produce found in the grocery store and you get more of a variety.
If you have any questions about this or any other post, please don't hesitate to send me a message.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Roll for Room
Save room and decrease wrinkles in your clothes by rolling them!
This is a perfect method for men, women and children alike!
Roll shirts, shorts, pants, towels, or anything else you want to keep easily organized and looking good.
This applies to clothing that goes in drawers, on shelves or even when packing a suit case, duffel bag or back pack.
Rolled towels anywhere in a bathroom always looks nice, and rolling them when storing in a closet or drawer works wonderfully.
Kids love rolling, too, so this is a great, easy, fun way to allow them to help with taking care of their clothes and other rollable items!
Simply fold the item in half and roll it up. (fold in sleeves on shirts before rolling) Place the lose edge side down in drawer or on shelf.
The following pictures show the before and after of
7 pairs of mens cargo shorts,
2 pairs of mens basketball shorts and
5 pairs of mens swimming shorts
going from being unsuccessfully shoved into a drawer to rolling them and having room left over!
Rolling makes it much easier to access the clothes you want than folding and stacking and certainly easier than the shoving method. Rolling is also faster than folding.
This drawer is relatively small; 27.5" long, 14" wide, 6" deep, but look at how much it can hold now!
Happy Rolling!
This is a perfect method for men, women and children alike!
Roll shirts, shorts, pants, towels, or anything else you want to keep easily organized and looking good.
This applies to clothing that goes in drawers, on shelves or even when packing a suit case, duffel bag or back pack.
Rolled towels anywhere in a bathroom always looks nice, and rolling them when storing in a closet or drawer works wonderfully.
Kids love rolling, too, so this is a great, easy, fun way to allow them to help with taking care of their clothes and other rollable items!
Simply fold the item in half and roll it up. (fold in sleeves on shirts before rolling) Place the lose edge side down in drawer or on shelf.
The following pictures show the before and after of
7 pairs of mens cargo shorts,
2 pairs of mens basketball shorts and
5 pairs of mens swimming shorts
going from being unsuccessfully shoved into a drawer to rolling them and having room left over!
Rolling makes it much easier to access the clothes you want than folding and stacking and certainly easier than the shoving method. Rolling is also faster than folding.
This drawer is relatively small; 27.5" long, 14" wide, 6" deep, but look at how much it can hold now!
Happy Rolling!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
A great, economical, versatile organizer...
A pencil box costs around 68 cents plus they come in pretty colors and can also be transparent. They even stack great!
With back to school time right around the corner, now is a great time to stock up on these wonderful containers! They can be used in ANY room in the home, garage or office. Sort barrettes, rubber bands, twisty ties, sewing notions and thread, cosmetics, toys and accessories, scrap book and craft supplies, vegetable or flower seeds, etc, etc. You can even make handy first aid kits using these and put them all around the house, outside and in vehicles. There is no limit to how creative you can be with these wonderful, inexpensive organizers.
Have fun!
With back to school time right around the corner, now is a great time to stock up on these wonderful containers! They can be used in ANY room in the home, garage or office. Sort barrettes, rubber bands, twisty ties, sewing notions and thread, cosmetics, toys and accessories, scrap book and craft supplies, vegetable or flower seeds, etc, etc. You can even make handy first aid kits using these and put them all around the house, outside and in vehicles. There is no limit to how creative you can be with these wonderful, inexpensive organizers.
Have fun!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Making Cookies Tip
Use a melon baller with a spring handle to scoop cookie dough onto the cookie sheet. It is much easier and helps you save time trying to size and shape the dough.
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