Dusting/fabric softener/rinse aid solutions

Where have I been, you ask?

Well, I have not been on..oh, shoot... what are they called....

va.....

you know...

when you leave your house/town/state and go lay on a beach for a week and read trashy novels?

Oh, that's right.. vacation. No, I haven't been on vacation (in like 4 years actually).

I have been busy. I've been on the couch most of the time it seems with back aches (yeah, I know... I'm 27 and have pretty intense back pain from time to time--it is a long story.. with a video, actually, of me falling 8 feet or so onto the gym floor with my lower back/left hip catching my fall. I was in high school and a *cough* cheerleader. Then, later that year I had a walking cast on my foot throwing my back/hip even more out of alignment... unrelated injuries and I promise that I'm not accident prone. 15 was a rough year :) ).

When I wasn't on the couch, I was at my desk grading or at my desk doing homework. Today, I had the wonderful pleasure of starting (and completing, thankyouverymuch) a 17 page research paper. Luckily, I L-O-V-E to research. Too bad it wasn't blog research... that is way more fun than the ineffectiveness of administrative observations in the classroom and suggestions for better alternatives. But, I submitted the last assignment in the first course of my doctorate program!! Too bad it isn't the first assignment in my last class... oh well....that post is about 2.5+ years away.

But, I have been collecting a massive amount of homemade cleaner recipes over the past few weeks. I write this guiltily after I just shampooed the bonus room/office/room above the garage (we can't decide what this room is called) with commercial "deep cleaning" shampoo by Hoover. oops. But, hey, it needed to be done and I already owned the bottle of it. My goal is to use up just about all of the cleaners that I have and replace them with homemade ones as I go. I'm a bit impatient though, so some of them may get the boot a little bit sooner.

But, in the meantime, here are a few quick and easy solutions that I've recently discovered....

Dusting- use a dryer sheet. That's all... no cleaner.. just a dryer sheet.

Fabric softener- (I guess this is because you're now using your dryer sheets for dusting cloths....harhar) put some vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser.

Rinse aid in the dishwasher-- you guessed, my new BFF vinegar.

I promise to be back with more recipes soon. I need to organize them a bit. And, I have a few projects around here that need to be painted/glazed/glued/finished.

Home made laundry soap Part 2: some clarification

I've had some people email me and send me Facebook messages about this. (you don't have to be shy about commenting on here, folks :)) So I thought I'd clear up some questions. 


The recipe that I made and used was this:

12 cups Borax
8 cups Baking Soda
8 cups Washing Soda
8 cups Fels Naptha soap-- grated

I cut it down and only made 1/4 of this recipe though. I REALLY like it. I researched it some and have found that it is supposed to do fine in both hot and cold water. The only "hard" part was grating the soap. I just used a cheese grater. It took me maybe 10 minutes to get 2 cups. I did read up on it some more and people suggest that you grate it using the smallest grate you have. That makes it dissolve easier and faster.


My disclaimer is this-- it is working great for me. Everything I have read online says that it works great. I have seen nothing that makes me weary. However, that's where my expertise ends. I am no chemist or expert.. I'm just a cheapskate with some dirty laundry :)  I am using this in an HE front loading washing machine. This recipe is naturally low suds, which is one of the big things to look for with an HE machine. (When I used Gain, I noticed that when the load was finished, I'd still have a 1/4 cup of suds in the rim of the door. I don't have that at all with this mixture.)


The next batch I make, I'm thinking about making it with only Ivory, borax, washing soda, and water. (I'm thinking about making the liquid kind next. I might change my mind and just make it powder and without the water) But, so far (4 loads into it) I am REALLY pleased with how this recipe/batch turned out. It is cleaning Dustin's work clothes really well. It basically has three different kinds of stain fighters, so I think it is doing a pretty nice job!


If you decide to try it, tweak it, or find something better, let me know! I'm always on the hunt for a better product/better deal! :)


**Check out the links to the right of parties I love to visit. I shared this post with We Are That Family. 

Homemade laundry soap

I have never been so excited to run out of laundry detergent OR to do laundry before in my life! :)

Cross your fingers... I'm using my first batch of homemade laundry detergent as I type. In my quest of being an even bigger cheapskate and wanting to try to go a bit "greener" I decided to make my own. Although I am in love with Gain and obsessed with OxyClean, I have high hopes for my detergent. It really wasn't difficult to find the ingredients and the hardest part was not tripping over Ellie who seemed to be greatly worried at my stint of being homemaker-ish!

The ingredients (minus the baking soda because I forgot about it until I was mixing it up)

And, because I went to the store without my list, I bought the wrong kind of castille soap. That will be going back. I only needed the Fels-Naptha OR the Ivory, but I already had the Ivory and was surprised I found Fels-Naptha in town so I bought it too... we can always use the ivory in the shower.  

The recipe I used:
3 cups Borax
2 cups baking soda
2 cups washing soda
2 cups grated bar soap
Mix it all together and store in a sealed tub. I used the Gain box I just emptied. Not exactly "sealed" but it will get the job done.
You only use 1/8 cup per load. I looked it up online and it is only 4 tablespoons per full load. I actually cut the recipe I was following into fourths. I didn't want to make such a huge batch on my first go 'round.

Doesn't it look like food with cheese on top?

This was before I poured it into the Gain box and mixed it up.

Grating the soap wasn't exactly fun, but it wasn't difficult. I could probably have cut it into chunks and put it into my food processor, but Mom didn't answer her phone and I didn't want to do it without asking her first. (She's used to answering the phone to a "Mom, can I..." or "Mom, how do I...." or something similar.... a lot of times I think it is more like "Mom, will you....." :))

We have a front load HE washing machine that we bought in April, so I was a little weary. However, all my research says that the most important thing for HE machines is low sud and that's what this is supposed to be.

I was also afraid that it wouldn't have a "clean" smell. (see above mention of  my love for Gain) Fear not-- my entire house smells like the detergent I just made. It just smells clean. It is overpowering in the kitchen, but it starting to fade as the dust settles. --it was a bit of a dusty experience.

And, although this isn't the exact recipe I followed (mine had a bit more in it) I just discovered this cost saving breakdown...

I copied and pasted this from another site (http://www.tidbitsandstuff.com/household-tips/laundry/142-homemade-laundry-detergent) I'm going to try the recipe on their site next.

In May of 2007, in the Northeastern region of the United States, the recipe cost as follows:

• 20 Mule Team Borax: $2.50 for 70 oz.
  Cost per batch: .28 (8 oz needed for recipe)
• Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda: $2.50 for 55 oz.
  Cost per batch .18.(4 oz needed for recipe)
• Ivory Soap: $.99 for 3 3.1 oz. Bars.
  Cost per batch: .33 (1 bar of soap needed for recipe)

Cost to make: .79
Yield: 442 oz.
Cost per oz. = .00178
Cost per ½ cup = .007 or rounded to .01 cent per load
The cost to wash 110.5 loads is $1.11. How does that compare to your store-bought detergent?


I feel like I have a whole lot more than $1.11 invested in my first batch/110.5 loads, but this is the trial run! Laundry detergent is SO expensive. I'm happy that I'm finally out of Gain and can start experimenting! I might save the type with the Fels-Naptha for Dustin's work clothes, which tend to be a bit dirtier, and try out the other site's recipe for our everyday type of laundry.

I'll let you know how the sheets in the washer turn out.....

The flood(s) of 2009--Inside and out

In honor of good projects gone bad, here are some of ours. (Although, to be honest, I think that EVERY project we have ever done has some major kink along the way...)

We decided that we needed a new washer and dryer.((Please note that this story begins in March/April)) Ours was about to die and I thought I wanted to do cloth diapers and wanted that "antibacterial" option if our clothes were going to be washed with baby poo. Since we were redoing, we thought it was a good time to redo the entire laundry room. I had wonderful dreams of washboards hanging about the room with cute signs that said things like "Laundry" and "suds". The first step involved removing the shower stall from the area. We never used it. It was placed beneath the air vents so the entire time you showered, you froze. And, the water heater wasn't good enough to support two showers at once. So this one was getting the boot.

All smiles at this point, haha!

We gutted the room and got to work. Then, while I was off getting a haircut one Saturday morning, I arrive home to the cat running down the driveway to greet me, yelling and panicking. She was a bit of a "drama" cat who talked a lot anyway so I didn't think much of it. Then, I see Dustin in knee high wading boots. I knew he was going to be removing pipes to get started and I thought "there's no way there was that much water in those pipes". I was greeted at the car with a "Hi, Honey. Your hair looks awesome...." and then "...promise me you won't be mad?!" I rarely get mad, so I thought this was a bizarre question. I walked into the house to find inches of water in the entryway. I walked to the kitchen (which was carpeted) and "SQUISHED" as I walked. The cat followed along, telling me all about it along the way. While working in that room, his elbow slipped and shattered the main water line into the house-- above the valve to shut it off in the house. He called the water company. The man they sent didn't know where the outside shut off was; unfortunately, we didn't either at the time. For over 30 minutes, water was pumped at full blast into our home. The downstairs is built into the ground, so our "basement" is the laundry, a bathroom, the kitchen and living/dining room. All carpeted, all saturated. (And I still believe "saturated" is an understatement!) We shop vac'ed gallons and gallons and gallons and gallons of water out of the house. I joked "I wanted an indoor pool, just not in the kitchen".

That disaster was under control.....

Then the rain began.

 

The outside soon began to look like this; the inside followed shortly thereafter.

We realized that the way the laundry had been, it was covering up (not intentionally we don't believe) some pretty big leaks. Once we had removed the shower stall pictured above and the closets that were on each side of it, we were able to see the water enter. And enter. And enter. There was a drain located under the washer, where the shower used to be. We never knew the water was coming in because it was draining towards the drain under the tub. Plus, the room was carpeted at the time and that managed to mask it even more since the room was only used for laundry.

 

(pretend this isn't sideways, haha) This is the "almost finished" room. Note the fan, towels around the washer and the puddle that makes up 95% of the floor.

Another day, another flood--inside our home...

Before we could do anything, we had to find the source of the problem. We knew it was water, obviously, but where was it coming from? We thought that perhaps it was originating from the bathroom next door to the laundry. We hoped, anyway. We thought there was an old window there and hoped it was leaking. Easy fix and insurance would maybe pay. So, we started there. And discovered this...

We decided that we didn't want to die from some strange mold. (Seriously though, some molds can be deadly. We didn't want to take any chances) So, project was put on hold and the bathroom was sealed up until we headed out to buy great big masks......

At least we keep our sense of humor =)

We gutted the gross bathroom and discovered a window! A perfectly sealed up window! =(. I soaked the room in bleach and we shut the door; we needed a break. A few days later, another rainstorm. I hung out in the bathroom all day waiting to see where the water was coming from.

 

Jackpot! 

The main source was to the right of the toilet-- closest to the laundry room. And, it was coming from the wall/floor joint.

So, this meant that we had a foundation leak rather than a window leak. Since we always try to save money, we decided to DIY and rented a backhoe...

And then began digging up our back yard. Please remember the initial goal: a new washer and dryer, haha.

We dug a 50' trench along the back side of our house. Eight feet of it had to be dug by hand because we weren't sure where the water line was exactly. (luckily, we still don't know! It isn't at 4' apparently!) Then we put in gravel and black drainage pipe that had "socks" on it to keep out the dirt. More gravel and then soil. The good news: We fixed the leak! And then it rained again. We need to put another drain pipe in between the AC unit and the landscaping wall (you can see it in the backhoe photo). And, we discovered that we have a slight leak in the ceiling from where the toilet vent goes to the outside. I'm STILL waiting on the roof guy to fix that.

This is the place where I would post a "finished" photo of the laundry room and bathroom. However, until we get 100% of the water stopped, they are on hold!

We did go ahead and rip up the kitchen carpet and put down (shhh) sticky tile. I didn't want to do it, but I have seen it places and it looks great. We didn't want to put a lot of money into it right now, so it is the perfect fix for the next few years.

(Ignore the messy counter, please) Now, I just need to touch up some of my White Ivy (like behind the trash can) and paint the lime-ish green on the backsplash. (I need to dig out the before photo of the kitchen. It was all 100% wood when we moved in. I spent 7 12-hour days painting to get to this. (I've planned on painting the green for 3 years now... but I recently discovered primer that primes glossy tile!)

As I typed all this, it has been POURING outside. Let's hope for no water in the house :) This journey is not done quite yet, but we are THISCLOSE! I'm so over wanting an indoor pool now!