I will be the first to admit that, I too, have jumped on the Pinterest bandwagon. What can I say? I absolutely love it! While I have yet to decorate my home with Mason jars or to crochet a beanie for Ryan Gosling ("Hey girl..."), I have indeed found myself intrigued by the amalgam of DIY stuff for the home.
Like just about every reclusive homebody on the site, I have attempted the ever popular, homemade detergents. In fact, I believe the very recipes I used for the dishwasher and laundry detergents are the most commonly used ones (at least that I have come across). Oh, sure, I've pinned other formulas, but for my own use, I stuck to the tried and true version of so many pinners out there. Furthermore, I have pinned (and even tried!) another few homemade household and beauty products.
I know that you can post your opinions on Pinterest, but sometimes, I have a little more to say than I care to put in a caption. (Imagine that! Yours truly can be somewhat wordy!) For that reason, allow me to post my reviews here:
**Don't worry the Fels-Naptha will dissolve in your washer even if you only use cold water like me.** For the most part, this is accurate. I have, however, found a couple of small chunks of Fels-Naptha in the washer or on my clothes when I remove them from the machine. This could be partially due to the fact that the food processor does not grate the soap as finely as it appear a box grater does.
Toss all ingredients in a 5 gallon bucket lined with a garbage bag. This part makes your whole house smell great. Once everything is mixed, store soap however you like. I chose a jar that I keep above my washing machine, I also got a little scoop to keep inside. Wasn't that easy? Sure was! Enjoy your soap. Other than grating the soap, this was a relatively easy thing to make. If it lasts as long as the website says it does (1 year, 8 loads/week) then it is absolutely worth the effort and the money. However, I do have my doubts. She recommends using 1-2 tbsp per load, but I prefer a little more (2-3 heaping tbsp/load). I also did not use the Oxyclean, so the total volume of detergent is less than what she would have.
Anouchka says: Overall, I'd give this recipe a B+. Once I've used up what I made, I'll probably go back to buying my detergent. I like it just fine, but once you search for all the ingredients, haul everything inside (three flights of stairs for me), make the detergent and clean up your mess, it really isn't worth all the hassle. If I knew it would actually be a once/year ordeal then I'd be more apt to do it again.
My comments in red!
Mix Borax, washing soda, salt and lemonade (or citric acid) together in a large bowl. When ingredients are mixed together, put soap in a
container of your choice. The soap does get hard spots in
it after a while so do be prepared for some hardening. I have not been
able to get around that no matter what I do.
Suggests 1 tbsp/load. I use 1 1/2 heaping tbsp/load.
Anouchka says: I love this stuff! So far, I have only used it probably half a dozen times, but my dishes come out cleaner than they did with the store bought detergent. I suspect it's really the Lemi Shine that does it, since I have never used a rinse aid in the past. In any case, I currently give this recipe an A. Only time will tell if it gets an A+.
Mix together 1 tsp coconut milk and 1 Tbsp Castille soap in a small jar. (I like Dr. Bronner’s or Mountain Rose Herbs Castille soaps, personally.) Crunchy Betty recommends making your own coconut milk. However, since I don't know anything about that, I tried a canned variety. (Shouldn't matter if it's full calories, vs. light, right?) I also used Dr. Bronner's lavender scented Castille. Target has mini sizes in their travel section, so I didn't have to buy a huge ass bottle and spend beaucoup of my hard-earned money. This is all a “single-serving” batch (although if you have short hair, it’s a double serving batch). If you want to make it in larger batches, that’s cool. Just store it in your refrigerator (should keep up to a week or so). So after you’ve poured the Castille and the coconut milk into a small container, just swish it around. Very gently. Or you’ll have lots and lots of bubbles.
It was one, sticky mess that smelled like vinegar. On the
bright side, though, I had plenty of coconut milk left over to put in my
chicken tikka masala! Nom, nom, nom.
Like just about every reclusive homebody on the site, I have attempted the ever popular, homemade detergents. In fact, I believe the very recipes I used for the dishwasher and laundry detergents are the most commonly used ones (at least that I have come across). Oh, sure, I've pinned other formulas, but for my own use, I stuck to the tried and true version of so many pinners out there. Furthermore, I have pinned (and even tried!) another few homemade household and beauty products.
I know that you can post your opinions on Pinterest, but sometimes, I have a little more to say than I care to put in a caption. (Imagine that! Yours truly can be somewhat wordy!) For that reason, allow me to post my reviews here:
Homemade Laundry Detergent
My comments in red!
- One 4 lb 12 oz box Borax
- One 4 lb box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda
- One 55oz box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Sod
- Three bars of Fels-Naptha soap You may also use pink Zote soap, apparently. I have never seen this stuff in my entire life. Come to think of it, I had never heard of any of this until Pinterest entered my life.
- Two small containers (3.5 lbs total) of Oxyclean or store brand Oxyclean This is optional, I did not use it.
**Don't worry the Fels-Naptha will dissolve in your washer even if you only use cold water like me.** For the most part, this is accurate. I have, however, found a couple of small chunks of Fels-Naptha in the washer or on my clothes when I remove them from the machine. This could be partially due to the fact that the food processor does not grate the soap as finely as it appear a box grater does.
Toss all ingredients in a 5 gallon bucket lined with a garbage bag. This part makes your whole house smell great. Once everything is mixed, store soap however you like. I chose a jar that I keep above my washing machine, I also got a little scoop to keep inside. Wasn't that easy? Sure was! Enjoy your soap. Other than grating the soap, this was a relatively easy thing to make. If it lasts as long as the website says it does (1 year, 8 loads/week) then it is absolutely worth the effort and the money. However, I do have my doubts. She recommends using 1-2 tbsp per load, but I prefer a little more (2-3 heaping tbsp/load). I also did not use the Oxyclean, so the total volume of detergent is less than what she would have.
Anouchka says: Overall, I'd give this recipe a B+. Once I've used up what I made, I'll probably go back to buying my detergent. I like it just fine, but once you search for all the ingredients, haul everything inside (three flights of stairs for me), make the detergent and clean up your mess, it really isn't worth all the hassle. If I knew it would actually be a once/year ordeal then I'd be more apt to do it again.
Homemade Dishwasher Detergent
- 1 box Borax (4lbs 12 oz)
- 1 box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (55 oz)
- 24 packages of unsweetened lemonade drink mix, like Kool-aid. (**Note: Lemonade will stain soap dispenser yellow. Another option would be to use citric acid instead of lemonade. You can usually find citric acid in the canning isle.) I used citric acid, found at HyVee by the canning jars. The website later suggests approximately 1/2 cup if you go this route.
- 3 cups Epsom Salt
- Lemi Shine rinse aid (this recipe does not work very well without it). You can find Lemi Shine in the dishwasher detergent aisle at just about any store. You can also use vinegar as a rinse aid. If your dishes are coming out with spots on them that means you do need a rinse aid. For Lemi Shine, just sprinkle about a tablespoon in the bottom of your dishwasher before you start it. I sprinkle this stuff relatively liberally on the bottom of my dishwasher before I start it, so I imagine I use about 2 tbsp or so. I don't know.
Suggests 1 tbsp/load. I use 1 1/2 heaping tbsp/load.
Anouchka says: I love this stuff! So far, I have only used it probably half a dozen times, but my dishes come out cleaner than they did with the store bought detergent. I suspect it's really the Lemi Shine that does it, since I have never used a rinse aid in the past. In any case, I currently give this recipe an A. Only time will tell if it gets an A+.
OK, so if
you've ever read my blog (and I assume you have, since you are reading
it now), you know that I have an unhealthy obsession with two things:
food and hair products. In an attempt to curb my addiction to hair
products, I thought Hmmmm, could be cool to try something all-natural, homemade and affordable. Sounds like a good idea, right?
So I stumbled upon this wonderful blog, www.crunchybetty.com and found this recipe for "sorta 'poo" (shampoo, that is):
Mix together 1 tsp coconut milk and 1 Tbsp Castille soap in a small jar. (I like Dr. Bronner’s or Mountain Rose Herbs Castille soaps, personally.) Crunchy Betty recommends making your own coconut milk. However, since I don't know anything about that, I tried a canned variety. (Shouldn't matter if it's full calories, vs. light, right?) I also used Dr. Bronner's lavender scented Castille. Target has mini sizes in their travel section, so I didn't have to buy a huge ass bottle and spend beaucoup of my hard-earned money. This is all a “single-serving” batch (although if you have short hair, it’s a double serving batch). If you want to make it in larger batches, that’s cool. Just store it in your refrigerator (should keep up to a week or so). So after you’ve poured the Castille and the coconut milk into a small container, just swish it around. Very gently. Or you’ll have lots and lots of bubbles.
Oh, and as for how to condition: For your conditioner, use a
diluted mixture of 1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar to 3 cups of water.
Rinse your hair with it, after rinsing out the shampoo (with water).
Concentrate on the ends. Leave the ACV rinse in your hair or wash it out with water – whichever you prefer. Your hair will (if it’s anything like mine) be shiny, bouncy, and soft. Just like you sashayed out of the salon. I kid you not.
Anouchka says: Well, I had high hopes for this one as I love
Crunchy Betty and the idea of being natural and environmentally/animal
friendly. However, this one gets a big F- from me. Sorry, C.B.!
 | |||||
| I had hoped for this... |
 |
| ...but instead got this. |
oOo
In summation, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Happy pinning, my little darlings!
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