DIY Laundry Soap!

So some friends of mine make their own laundry soap and just love it.  I've been wanting to try it for some time but finding the time to grate soap is not the easiest... But I figured that with Baby J on the way, I'd probably want something better for their sensitive skin besides Dreft.  Dreft isn't bad or anything, but I'm not a huge fan of the smell of it NOR I am a fan of buying laundry detergent for me and the hub's clothes and a separate one for baby.

So I found this tutorial on Pinterest, it is FABULOUS. The Bobbi over at How Does She has an awesome idea with adding the Purex crystals, which makes the whole thing smell like heaven.  So here is my break-down of the tutorial and my results.

I did not use the Oxyclean or baking soda because I totally spaced it when I was at the store, but I did have 1 box of Borax, 1 box of Arm & Hammer Washing Powder, 1 container of Lavender scented Purex Crystals, and 2 bars of Fel Naptha laundry soap.  I could have used my food processor to grate the soap, but I like to use that for food and didn't want to wash it 18 times to get all the soap residue off of it.  Instead I bought a super cheap metal cheese grater and went to town.  It took me around 30 minutes to get it all grated and I lost some finger skin in the process.  If I were doing this again, I would wear gloves during the grating.  That being said, the rest of the process was totally easy.

I didn't have a 5 gallon bucket to mix in (DANG!) so I had to use 2 large Tupperware containers instead.  I just dumped half of my soap shavings into one bowl, the other half in the other bowl.  Then each bowl got 1/2 of the Purex, Borax, and Washing Powder.  I mixed each with a spoon fairly thoroughly until the mix looked pretty homogenous.  Then I dug around in my craft zone until I found some really perfect and awesome glass containers from last Christmas... they were supposed to be etched glass sugar/flour holders, but I didn't end up making them.  Sorry Mom!  That being said, I used the two containers, which I would estimate at 28 - 30 ounces each (maybe more), the Purex container, 28 ounces, AND a gallon sized Ziploc bag.  The Ziploc didn't get full, but about half way for sure.  If you wanted to do this process a little more organic or fragrance free, I would recommend using essential oils in the mixing process instead of the Purex crystals.  Also, use the white Zote soap instead of the pink version or the Fel Naptha, as those two are scented.  The essential oils will leave your clothes very lightly scented, but they are anti-viral and what not so you are still getting a super awesome cleaning.

I think the most awesome thing about this detergent is that for around $15.00 I made enough to last us a loooooong time, as we'll only need 1 to 2 tablespoons per load.  That is so awesome, because the cost of liquid detergent and fabric softener is the same, if not more, and this will last me at least as long as two bottles of each did, probably longer.  And I did try it today, it smells AMAZING!!  Goodbye Tide, hello DIYSoap!

So get out there and make yourself some laundry detergent!  The price is right and you get to pick the scents and everything!

Go ahead and check out the tutorial, linked HERE.

Prepare Yourself...

For an impromptu product review that isn't sponsored in any way, seriously.

SO as you have probably read, I'm pregnant.  This can get annoying when I want to clean stuff, because the vinegar/water/baking soda/lemon juice mix isn't strong enough for me and technically I am not supposed to be using my normal cleaners, like Windex and Clorox. (I LOVE BLEACH.)  The past several months, Bean has been doing a majority of the cleaning.  I totally hate this because he works long days and then comes home to scrub the bathroom.  Plus he doesn't get into all the nooks and crannies that I do...

Anyway, I went to Target today to get some crib sheets and return some baby items when I thought to myself, "Nicole, you need to get some of them there or-ganic cleaners."  Yes, I give myself a hick accent, what of it.  As I was perusing the aisles of cleaners and laundry stuff, I noticed the Seventh Generation multi-surface cleaner and the Method brand cleaners.  After a smell test of each kind, I found that the Method French Lavender was MUCH more pleasing to the nose, as the Seventh Generation one smelled like mint and cat pee.  The Method brand also had some other cleaners too, like ones specifically for tub and tile or the kitchen.  I ended up getting : French Lavender Multi-Surface, Antibac (which is the kitchen cleaner), and Bath & Tile.  The Antibac one is Lemon Verbana scented and the Bath & Tile is eucalyptus and mint.  They all smelled SOOOOOO GOOOD.

So I went home and put them on the table, not feeling the urge to clean whatsoever.  I started working on a foot stool for my nursery chair and lo-and-behold, the cat puked in the hallway.  Awesome.  I got up and decided to use my new Method cleaner and ooooooooooh man did it work well.  For some reason, my cat-dog had eaten a turd (I know right?!) and normally that would out-stink any of my normal stuff.  Well the French Lavender covered it right up, which was awesome.  I looked into my bathroom and decided that maybe I should just clean the bathtub, as I took a bath earlier today and it was pretty grungy.  Long story short, I ended up cleaning the entire bathroom, top to bottom.  I seriously want to sit in there on the floor and just breathe, it smells sooo good.  And to top it off, the bathroom got really clean too, which I was a little unsure of as it was organic and not bleach.

Method, you have my attention and my business.  I hope that you, my reader(s?), go out and check this stuff out for yourself.  The price was in line with all of the similar cleaners, in fact I got mine on sale (WHOOT!)