the one about laundry detergent.

i stopped buying & using store bought laundry detergent a few months ago.

my first attempt at making homemade laundry detergent was a success. i followed the recipe that just about everyone uses:

1 cup of borax
1 cup of washing soda
1 grated bar of soap like fels naptha

blend ingredients together in a food processor and use two tablespoons per load

i was pleasantly surprised by how effective this detergent was and how cheap it was to make. i made a second batch and i fell even more in love with homemade laundry detergent. i thought everything was perfect.

but then i read a blog post that made reference to another blog post...and my love for homemade laundry detergent was taken to a new level.

behold, gel-ish laundry detergent:

{detergent i gave to my favorite beach bum}

making this detergent used exactly the same recipe as the one above except i needed to use my stove instead of a food processor. i also needed a five gallon bucket. oh, and a lot of water.

for the exact specifics on how to make the detergent, please check out this blog post at she-laughs.

honestly, making the detergent took no more than a half an hour one evening. i did require my husband's help {he poured the hot detergent mixture into the five gallon bucket for me while i stirred}. and, i'll be honest, i had a hard time waiting the full twenty-four hours for the detergent to congeal. but, the payoff has been great...and bountiful, too!

{that funny looking spot towards the bottom of the picture? yeah, i stuck my hand in the jelly-like detergent.}

{i now have five gallons of laundry detergent}

yes, you read right...five gallons of laundry detergent. well, it's close enough to five gallons. five gallons equals to 640 ounces {correct me, please, if i'm wrong!}. do you know what it cost me to make this much laundry detergent? less than $2. say what?!

i realize prices will vary by state and store, but those pictures above show what i paid for each item at my local wally world. and, just so you know, the five gallon bucket cost me roughly $5 from the home depot. so, yeah, for less than $2 {$7ish if you count the bucket} and about a half an hour of my time i have an approximately six month supply of laundry detergent. six months. y'all, i was spending like $20 a month or so on detergent {i do a lot of laundry}. 

my thoughts:

• this detergent cleans well. i'm going to start adding in a scoop of washing soda for an added boost. you can use oxyclean, but clearly, washing soda is cheaper.
• i call this detergent gel-ish because it is. honestly, it reminds me of chunky snot {hey, i'm a mom}. you have to stir the detergent after it sets for the initial 24 hour period. i can't seem to get the chunks out. but, the chunks don't take away from the detergent...it just makes for some interesting pouring.
• this detergent is safe for high efficiency/front loading machines. speaking of h.e./front loaders, my washer has two loading options for detergent, one for powder and one for liquid. i use the powder option.
• i try not to go into the five gallon bucket in an effort to keep it air tight. i keep a stash of the detergent in a smaller container on my washing machine. i was asked if this will mold or mildew. i honestly don't know. 
• call me crazy, but i've noticed a change in my skin since using homemade laundry detergent. i don't have sensitive skin, but i would guess that this detergent is safe for everyone to use.

if you're feeling adventurous and looking to rev up your budget and be more conscious of the products you are using, i urge you to make homemade laundry detergent. if you don't want to go the gel-ish route, definitely try the powder detergent {same ingredients, super easy to make}.

if you have any questions, just ask. i'll do my best to answer them. 

I HATE LAUNDRY

There's a load in the washing machine waiting to be moved into the dryer, but the dryer is full because I had to wash my daughter's sheets. The laundry basket is full of clean clothes that are waiting to be folded and, currently, there are two baskets of clean, folded clothes sitting in my bedroom waiting to be put away.

Have I told you lately how much I hate doing the laundry?

I realize it's necessary to wear clean clothes, but come on, people, give me a break. I know we don't wear THAT much clothes throughout the week. It's OK to use the same towel a few times before putting it in the hamper. It's not OK to wear a different set of pajamas every night. Yes, it's important to wear clean underwear everyday, but if you took a bath the night before I don't think you really need to change your "unnawears" the very next morning while getting ready for school. Oh, and if you insist on making your OWN pile of dirty laundry (right next to the clothes hamper, I might add), then please make sure you turn everything right-side out & be sure to pull your underwear and your socks out of your pants instead of pulling them all off in one swoop. The same goes for your pockets - empty them! It's never fun to find out that a tube of Chapstick has melted all over the inside of the dryer or that the tissue you used on your runny nose was shredded in the wash and coated every dark article of clothing in the washing machine. But, if you happen to leave spare change, dollar bills or anything of value in your pockets then please consider it gone forever - finders, keepers!

I may wash, dry & fold the laundry, but it's your responsibility to help put the clothes away. If you can't do that, then why should I waste my time washing the clothes for you? I don't enjoy spending lots of time in the laundry room. No, I don't. There are a million other things I would rather do with my time...trust me. No wonder my mother showed me how to wash and dry my own laundry when I was in elementary school. Guess what kids...your time is coming...

Pissed

I'll admit it...my language is pretty colorful at times. It's also inappropriate at times. But, never once have my children repeated my language nor have I been questioned by my children about what something means...until this afternoon.

I was in the laundry room putting a load of laundry in the washing machine when I noticed it smelled kinda funky. Cat pee funky. Yeah, ew...not so nice on the nose. We have three cats -- and one litter box -- and I take great pride in the fact that I haven't had to clean the litter box out in months. Now, before you get all "OMG, she's so gross" on me, just realize that my kitties are indoor/outdoor and they would much prefer to handle their business in the flower bed. Hey, whatever floats their boat...it just makes for less crap that I have to scoop out of the litter box on a daily basis.

Anyway, recently we've noticed a fourth cat hanging around the house. He or she is all white. He or she has actually been inside of our house...never venturing further than the laundry room, but still...the mystery cat has been in the house nonetheless. I don't know if it's my cats getting all territorial or if it's the white cat trying to lay claim to my laundry room, but I just don't appreciate the cat piss smell that is out there.

So, this afternoon I'm talking to Adam about the smell in the laundry room. Malia is in her room working on homework. Aidan is in the living room with me watching "Inspector Gadget." As I'm folding jeans, I say to Adam, "Man, I'll be PISSED if one of the cats is spraying in the laundry room!"

Next thing I know, Aidan's asking, "Mom, uh, what does it mean when you say pissed?"

Immediately, I felt about 2 feet tall and I began apologizing profusely. Adam's in the kitchen snickering at my misfortune and I'm lecturing my son about how it's not appropriate to say such naughty words.

Eeek.

Ridiculous

Since I'm home today with sick kids...well, one who is legitimately sick and one who is isn't really...I took the initiative to get the laundry caught up and get all of the folded clothes put away. This may not seem like a big deal to some, but for those who know me or for those who are exactly like me, then you know that it's not the process of washing clothes that bothers me -- it's the act of folding the clean clothes and putting them away that I don't find entertaining.

So...

All washed clothes has been folded and put away except for my husband's pile because I r-e-f-u-s-e to do it. I feel that putting away his clean laundry is the least he can do. So far, he's got two piles of clean laundry in the bedroom and both are about 2.5' high. Yeah. It's sad.

Anyway...

Earlier this morning I cleaned out my daughter's dresser drawers. Currently, I have two bags full of clothing that I'm hoping to pass along to a friend tonight...I just hope his daughter (who is a year younger than mine) can fit into the clothes. Upon cleaning Malia's dresser drawers, I learned that she has enough clean underwear to last about two months. Yeah. That's a lot of panties. She is also set for the remainder of the winter and should not have any problems once we transition into spring & summer. The girl has clothes...tons of clothes! (I suppose that's my fault, but that's not the point of this blog entry...)

I haven't had the motivation (yet) to get into my son's dresser drawers. I know he's pretty well stocked as far as clothing is concerned. I just don't feel like going into his room to mess with the dresser -- there's only but so much laundry I can take in one day!

With that said, I do have a ginormous pile of boys clothing that I've been needing to list on eBay. I have found that I do better reselling his clothing than I do my daughter's clothing...probably because he's been growing faster than she has been lately...who knows. All I know is that I'm glad that the laundry is pretty much caught up for the moment and that all folded laundry has been put away (or sorta put away in my husband's case).

Now I just need to find the motivation to get dressed and venture out with the kids to the grocery store.......ugh.