oxygen Bleach - update

That's what I'm talkin' about! Muuuuuuch better. =)

If you didn't catch my other posts about oxygen bleach, I tried using it twice before, but I put it in the bleach drawer thingy. It didn't make it to the laundry...it turned into bleach stones. For this load I chucked the powdered bleach right in with the clothes, and it worked great. So here's my plug for a great green product. Oh, and even though the bottle clearly stated otherwise, I chucked colors and whites in together. Like I said before, I ain't looking for perfection, just clothes that look and smell clean when they come out of the dried. So I'm pleased. By the way, I bought Biokleen oxygen bleach, but I imagine there are other brands. Let me know if you've used any others.

Soap Nuts and Coconut Scrub Pads Giveaway

Click this link to enter for a chance to win a free bag of soap nuts and some coconut scrub pads!

Soap Nuts & Coconut Scrub Pads Giveaway

oxygen Bleach - update

Ah ha. The issue with the bleach is that it is a powder, and it is not washing through the bleach cup with the water into the laundry tub. In fact, it turned into solid bleach rocks! Bizarre, but ok. I guess the bleach cup is only intended for liquid bleach. The next test will be to put the bleach directly into the tub with the laundry. Hm. I hope the bleach-water will wash out. I hope it's not plugged with mini-rocks..... Stay tuned...

Oxygen Bleach - update

I just discovered this morning that about half of the oxygen bleach that I added to the bleach cup of the washing machine was still there. Hm. That would explain why I didn't see great results with the laundry yesterday. I don't know why it didn't wash into the tub, but I am trying again now. I've removed this plastic partition thingy, which I hope doesn't do anything bad. It just seemed that some of the wet powder was underneath it. We'll see.....

Oxygen Bleach

My newest "green clean" adventure. I have yet to try it, but I'll keep you posted. I got this because although I love using soap nuts in the laundry, our socks are coming out looking dirty. I don't go crazy trying to make clothing look brand new, not by a long shot, but I would like the socks to look a little whiter. So I'll give it a shot. Of course, oxygen bleach is completely natural and biodegradable. You have to keep it out of the reach of children, not my preferred type of thing to have around, but I'm gonna give it a try and see if it's worth having around. More soon.

Oh, and if anyone has any experience with this stuff, I'd love to hear about it. Thanks.

Crisis cleaning blues

I am so tired of the need to crisis clean/organize every time we invite someone over. And the anxiety and headache that comes with it. (Every time!) And the mood my daughter then picks up from me and begins her day with. Ohhhhh. And I love having people over. I'm a people person. But it is a simple fact. The only way things are gonna change around here so that preparing for people is a less stressful proposition is to get rid of stuff. So there is my motivation to keep moving with my plan for the year. And I've had a good start. I'm keeping track of my progress, and honestly, that helps. Blogging about it all helps, too. I like to be able to go back and remind myself of what I've accomplished. I also notice that the less clutter there is around me, the less I stress it if the kids make a mess. It feels like no big deal to handle their mess if the surrounding around is neat and clean. Hm. Seems as if it's a no-brainer. So what the ... has taken me so long? Anyhow, it's easy to write about, time to try to walk the walk. (siiiighhhhs) Perhaps I need to keep a record of my DAILY accomplishments for a few days....boring for you, maybe, but helpful for me. Ok....so here's today: (to be updated throughout the day if and when I accomplish something....)

Feeling really down. First of all, I don't know how to stop this from underlining. What a pain. Secondly, but really firstly, I have been picking up around here since my son fell asleep, about an hour ago. The place still looks like crap. It's so frustrating. Makes me hate myself. =( I hope our visitors this afternoon are forgiving. ......... Well, our guests were great, and the house was ....ok.... One of my books on Amazon.com sold today, so that's nice. I'm plugging along. :/

Soap nuts trial 2 - Liquid Form - Update

The first time I made soap nuts liquid, I used a lot of water, a hand full of soap nuts, and the crock pot. The result was some light tea colored liquid, which I froze. They are, as I suspected, on the weak side. Quite weak, as I came to find out. Yesterday I decided to try making the liquid on the stove top. I put much less water, maybe a cup or two, in the pot, and threw in any soap nuts that had been used before in the laundry but still looked shiny. It was maybe 8 or 10 broken up soap nuts. (at the most) I brought the water to a boil and turned it down to simmer. The water quickly boiled down to a much richer, darker liquid. I poured this into an ice cube tray, then added more water to the pot. The water suds up a lot. I boiled the water down again, poured it into the ice cube tray, and added even more water. I could see at this point that the saponin in the soap nuts was finally running low. I boiled them down and threw the resulting liquid, along with the nuts, into the dishwasher. As we've had questionable results so far, (and hubby's patience with having dishes that aren't Cascade shiny is starting to run low to run low) I figure this is my last chance to make this work. I wanted to give this wash the best possible chance to come clean. I filled the soap dispenser and the pre-wash thingies. =) It's runnung now----we'll see. I also plan to do a load of cloth diapers and cloth wipes today using one of my super concentrated soap nut cubes. The cubes are shaped like stars. Let's hope they are!

Soap nuts trial 2 - Liquid Form

Today I am boiling some partly used soap nuts to see what the liquid is like. I am using the crock pot. I didn't follow any recommended water and soap nuts amounts, I just filled the crock pot with water, and tossed in any soap nuts that I had used in either the laundry or in the dishwasher. I plan to reserve some of the liquid to try out today, and freeze the rest in ice cube trays for future use. Stay tuned...

Soap nuts in the dishwasher

Tonight I tried using soap nuts and vinegar in the dishwasher. You toss the equivalent of about 4 soap nuts in the silverware holder, and fill the rinse aid compartment with vinegar. The dishes came out surprisingly clean and even shiny. There were three or four things that were heavily soiled and had not been rinsed. They will need to be re-washed. But the reviews I have read about using soap nuts in the dishwasher reported just that. Dishes need to be rinsed or soaked before being put in the dishwasher with soap nuts. This is true with regular detergent, no? So I would say the results of this trial were surprisingly positive. =)

It sudsed!

Ok, when my soap nuts didn't suds at all in the washing machine, I wondered if they really did. I mean, really. A plant? Sudsing? So I did what is recommended to test if soap nuts still have the saponin needed to clean with.... I put a piece of one in a container with a lid, and shook. This photo shows the result. I add that I didn't have to shake for long.

Soap nuts - interesting information

I am really into this soap nut thing. I have been reading and reading about how to care for them, how to use them, how to tell when they are used up....very, very interesting. Here are some things I have learned:

>>>Many people who love using soap nuts will boil them in water and use the resulting liquid for cleaning. 

>>>Because it is organic, soap nut liquid has a relatively short shelf-life, so it is a good idea to make what you will use in a week or less, and use it.

>>>The liquid can be frozen into ice cubes, and used as needed. The liquid lasts much longer this way.

>>>The liquid can be used in the laundry, for household cleaning, for windows (with vinegar added), for washing dishes, and even in the dishwasher (with other items added, which I'll write up if there's interest)

>>>Soap nuts DON'T suds much, according to what I've read. Some places claim they do, but many claim they don't. Mine have NOT been sudsy, which is why I read more about that very thing. Suds, according to one source, are extended chemically in store-bought detergents because people think that means the detergent is working better. (Not true)

>>>When soap nuts have done as much as they can do in the laundry, they can still be boiled down to make a good cleaning liquid. 

>>>LOVE this one! Soap nuts can be used as compost when they're used up!

>>>The soap nut liquid can be made in the crock pot. =)

>>>To test if the saponin (cleaning agent) in the soap nuts is used up or not, put the soap nuts in a sealable jar with some water. Shake it up, and if you gets any "suds," they are still good to go. 

>>>Although heat helps to release saponin from the soap nuts, they can be used in any water temperature. The saponin is simply released more slowly.

>>>The saponin released during the rinse cycle is not a worry. It's gentle and non-irritating (according to what I've read) and shouldn't be a concern. It beats soap residue on clothing!

I am very anxious to try the soap nut liquid around the house. I will post as I experiment.

Laundry Detergent recipe

One of my most tried and true green efforts recently has been with the home-made laundry detergent, so I thought I'd share the recipe. First, a quick pros and cons list:

Pros: 

All-natural

Biodegradable

Safe

Gentle

Effective

Reuse containers

Cons:

Hardens and needs to be broken up

Occasionally lumps of detergent remain in wash after load is done

Recipe makes small amount of detergent

Recipe:

1/4 cup castile soap (I like peppermint)

1 cup baking soda

1 cup washing soda

1 cup white vinegar

Mix the castile soap with the powders. Add vinegar (it will foam up, then settle down, just mix). Stir til completely combined. 

At this point I leave it, and it hardens. If you keep mixing through the hardening process you can break it up right away. It becomes a lumpy powder. I have yet to perfect the process so it all gets crunched up to a thin powder, but honestly, I don't have time at the moment, and it works well anyhow. 1/2 cup in a regular size load does the trick. Makes about 5 loads worth...something like that.

I've been using this detergent for weeks now, with great results.

If you try it, let me know what you think.

Unclogging drains naturally

Ok, I mentioned this in another post, but thought I would elaborate. 

We had a very, very clogged drain. I didn't realize just how clogged it was until I attempted to take the plug out, and couldn't! I pulled and tugged and yanked, and finally it came out to reveal the most clogged drain I had ever seen. Yikes. I had decided to use green cleaning methods, but was pretty convinced it wouldn't work. I just wanted to give it a shot so I could give myself credit for having tried. =) Using a method I had read about online, I poured 1/2 cup of baking soda into the drain. On top of that I poured one cup of white vinegar. Here's the trick. I then plugged the drain. You have to close it as tightly as you can. The idea is that when the mixture fizzes and foams up, which it will, the pressure will go DOWN, thus pushing the clog down. I went through the motions, having little hope, and left the room. The next day (I'm a busy person and didn't get to it again until the next day) I remember my futile experiment, and went to check on it. The clog was gone. GONE. The sink ran freely. I was so excited. No harsh chemicals, no fumes, no keeping the kids out of the room. Just a safely unclogged drain that ran clear. Victory! Now to do the tub drain...

Castile Soap

I recently discovered castile soap. I had seen it before, but didn't have a clue about it, and honestly, it wasn't on the top, or near the top, or my priority list until a couple of months ago. Then there is was, and so. Castile soap is oil based, and the purist of the pure is made from olive oil. Essential oils scent it. Its versatility is what really caught my eye. People use it for everything from cleaning themselves, to cleaning their homes, their dishes, their laundry. My thoughts on each (liquid castile): 

Cleaning self: Um, ok. It's so-so. Using the liquid soap on the skin is good. It's gentle and cleans well. I use it in the hand soap dispensers. I'm lazy about using it in the shower. As a shampoo, you really need to mix it so that works for your hair type. Castile alone left my hair very, very soft, but also limp and feeling filmy. I mixed it with baking soda as someone online had suggested. The results were much better...much better. But I have to say I have been quick to grab store bought shampoo instead. I'm working on myself to pursue this more. We'll see.

Cleaning the home: Excellent. I use castile soap, baking soda and vinegar to clean the house. That's it, and it's great. Baking soda and vinegar are excellent at clearing plugged drains, too, and no scary fuming chemicals. Love that.

Dishes: I've read many accounts of castile soap leaving a film on the dishes. I haven't even tried it.

Laundry: My absolute favorite use. I got a recipe (there are many) online for laundry detergent using castile soap, baking soda, washing soda and vinegar. I have used nothing but for weeks now. It cleans at least as well as the store bought laundry detergent (to my surprise!) and it's easy to make. It reduces cost and plastic containers. I reuse a coffee can (plastic) to make and store it. 

Castile soap is completely biodegradable, safe, natural, the works. You can use it on babies! I love it. As I said, I don't love it for everything, but I use it for a lot of things, and feel good about it.