Homemade Laundry Detergent

AHHHHCHOO!

Is what will happen if you get a big wiff of this stuff. Serious. Create with caution!

No but really. I have been on a "let's make everything homemade" kick.

Do you remember this? When I promised a solution to washing rags everyday?

Here ya go!

Homemade laundry detergent! Am I the only one that didn't know about this??? I mean really. Why is anyone buying laundry soap anymore. This stuff is so cheap and totally works. I can't see any difference.

There is two types. Liquid and powder.

DUH!

I originally was going to do the liquid. And I had a great recipe! but then my friend Alicia sent me a powder version.

Way better as far as storage goes.

I don't know if the liquid would do any better. It's made out of the same ingredients. I HAVE A TINY APARTMENT! So you can do the math.

Smaller space things are much more my style.

Here it is. It's a provident living recipe. I think..:) (their words not mine! or alicia's. I couldn't tell!)

1 c. grated soap (Fels Naptha works great, but any bar soap grated will do)
1/2 c. Borax
1/2 c. washing soda
Combine ingredients in a large container and mix well.
To use:
1 T. for small loads 2 T. for medium loads and 3 T. for large loads

Detergent recipe works out to be about 1 penny per load!
Recommended making a large batch all at the same time. Do about 5 cups of grated soap per batch***. Can put bar soaps in the food processor.
This is a low sud sing recipe. Suds are not necessary for cleaning.
This is also a dye free/fragrance free recipe. Great for babies and sensitive skin. If you prefer to have a fragrance, grab a bottle of fragrance oil and add a few drops per cup of soap.

***I only had 3 bars of soap. It turned out to be 4 cups. So that can help you judge.

I grated my soap with the cheese grater, mixed all of the ingredients together in a bowl and then stuck it in the blender (like one cup at a time)

The only question I have is will that ruin my blender???

OH WELL!!

Happy Suddsing!

(or not it this case I guess!)

Homemade Butter and Butter Milk

Today I limited my cleaning...

...Because I had more fun things to do

I FOUND MY CHEESE CLOTH!!

And you will never guess where???

HOME DEPOT!

(in the painting section. We didn't even ask for help! Crazy!)

So here's a play by play. I had alot of fun.

Here is what your need. Cheese cloth, bowl (course I switched to a bigger one in the middle of mixing. So make it big!), heavy whipping cream, and a mixer. And silly me a strainer. I forgot it in the picture!

Pour that whipping cream in and start whipping it to death!

It's getting thicker...:)

It really seems like it is just going to stay whipped cream forever! By this time my little mixer is saying "okay! I've done my job! I'm going to over heat now. Please stop! STOP NOW!" I was beating it on high. And it takes at least 10 minutes.

Then BAM!! It separates. Oh man. When this happens.. Its a beautiful thing. Keep going just a bit longer until you can really see a separation between the butter and the DUN DUN DUN! Butter milk! It's a two fer!

Dump it into the strainer.... or salad spinner thingy in my case!

Make it into little balls, place in the cheese cloth, and SQUEEEZZZ the buttermilk out. KEEP THE BUTTERMILK!!

Place the butter balls back in the bowl and put a cup of cold water in. MIX IT AGAIN! (And if you are smart in a big bowl. In the sink. I got flipped with alot of water.)

Repeat the same process of straining. Just keep using the same cheese cloth! Now if you want to add salt... go for it. If not then it's time to store the butter. Now if you want it to stay fresh. Word on the street is to press the butter into a container (walnut sized pieces at a time to keep the air out) and then put a layer of water over the top. And there you go. If you need some just poor the water out, get some scoops, and put more water on top! COOLIEO! There are other ways to do it if you don't have a beaters. But I was not interested in the time it would take. And if anyone has made butter and has some great tips they are totally welcome to share. Oh. And the buttermilk. This is why I buy buttermilk. I could eat these all. day. long. Yum.

Happy churning!