Green DIY

I certainly don't consider myself any sort of health nut----my diet and habits can definitely attest to that. But, while considering my word of the year, "Purpose", I have become more concerned about being more healthy and making small changes that can impact the environment in a positive way. I tackled one of those small changes this weekend.

With my laundry room "re-do" well underway, I decided that one change I could make is to switch to more natural laundry products. After seeing lots of different options for homemade laundry detergent, I settled on the recipe I found over on Go Green Street. This was an easy-peasy recipe, with only 3 ingredients needed (I love the packaging on that Dr. Bronner's soap). I found all of them at Drug Emporium and the total cost was about $9 for enough laundry powder to last me months! So, not only is it pretty and safe for the environment, but it is VERY cost-efficient, too. And did I mention that it smells good, too?!?! I chose the lavender soap, but Dr. Bronner's comes in lots of different scents.

First I grated the bar of soap into a large bowl. One bar makes over 2 cups once grated.

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Next, I measured out the Borax and Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (not baking soda) and stirred them together really well. Lastly, I poured it into a pretty jar that I found on the sale table at Hobby Lobby a few weeks ago. The whole process only took about 15 minutes and my whole kitchen still smells really nice from the lavender soap! I made one other little change---I really like to use dryer sheets but have been reading about how unhealthy they are, both for the environment and for our bodies. So, I made my own natural ones! I cut some plain terry washcloths in half, zig-zagged the edges, and placed them in a jar filled with a fabric softener mixture. (I used Mrs. Meyer's lavender fabric softener diluted with water) I can now take out a cloth, squeeze out the excess liquid and toss it in the dryer with my clothes. Normal dryer sheets are pretty cheap so I don't know if my homemade variety is that much cheaper, but it definitely is not any more expensive and will be much better for us. (that's the cloths in the square jar I found at Target)