How-to Mondays

I've decided to start a theme for Mondays. We all need a little inspiration to start the week so here goes How-to Mondays! Let start with something simple and something on my to-do list for today: Homemade Laundry soap. Ever since starting cloth diapers I decided to make my own to get away from all the harsh chemicals in detergents. Soap is so much better for your skin!

You can find all these ingredients at your grocery store and it only takes a few minutes to prepare.

I buy kirk's castile soap which is coconut oil based I think it was around 3 bars for 2.20... not bad! Washing soda and borax, both you can find in the detergent soap isle.

Shave one bar of soap into a large pot with 8 cups of water and heat until melted. Next, place one cup of borax, and one cup of washing soda in the pot and stir until dissolved. Pour into a large bucket with 16 more cups of water. Let sit covered for a few hours until cooled... stir occasionally. It will look kinda sludgy but it works! I usually pour into two recycled detergent jugs. All you need is about a half a cup per load. If you want to do more and just store it in the 5 gallon bucket and pull it out when needed just increase the recipe. I think it ends up being a few pennies a load and its gentle for baby! That concludes the first installment of how-to Mondays! Woo hoo!

I forgot to mention a small detail. Make sure you put some vinegar in a downy ball for the rinse cycle... it helps get the soap completely out. Vinegar is also a natural fabric softener. You don't want to know what's in the chemical fabric softeners!