Natural | Prudent and Practical

April 24, 2009

Homemade Laundry Supplies Part 3: Powdered Detergent

Filed under: General — Tags: cleaning, home, natural — K @ 3:17 PM

: Image via Wikipedia

The last installment in the Homemade Laundry Supplies series will be covering powdered laundry detergent. Like liquid detergent, powdered detergent ingredients are pretty much the same across the board. If you don’t have the room for a big barrel of soap, I suggest the first or third recipe since they’re in a much smaller quantity.

Powdered Laundry Detergent #1

2 bars (aka: 2 cups) Fels Naptha Soap (finely grated – you could also try other bars of soap)
1 cup Washing Soda
1 cup Borax

Mix all ingredients well and store in a sealed container.
Use 2 tablespoons per full load.
Servings / Loads: 32 loads
Cost: $2.83
Dollars and $ense comparison ratio: This would be like a 96 load detergent costing $8.49.

Powdered Laundry Detergent #2

12 cups Borax
8 cups Baking Soda
8 cups Washing Soda
8 cups Bar soap (finely grated)

Mix all ingredients well and store in a sealed container.
Use 2 tablespoons per full load.
Servings / Loads: 288 loads
Cost: $19.02
Dollars and $ense comparison ratio: This would be like a 96 load detergent costing $6.34.

Powdered Laundry Detergent #3

1/4 cup liquid castile soap
1 cup Washing Soda
1 cup Baking Soda
1 cup Vinegar (white)

Mix all ingredients well in the order given and and mix after the addition of each ingredient. You will have a thick paste; keep stirring and it will turn into a powder.
Use 1/2 cup per full load.
Servings / loads: 6 loads
Cost: $1.73
Dollars and $ense comparison ratio: This would be like a 96 load detergent costing $27.68.

Dollars and $ense

Powdered Laundry Detergent #1 = 96 loads for $8.49
Powdered Laundry Detergent #2 = 96 loads for $6.34
Powdered Laundry Detergent #3 = 96 loads for $27.88
Cheer Powder = 80 loads for $16.18
Gain Powder = 80 loads for $12.29
Tide Powder = 80 loads for $14.35

The verdict: Homemade powdered detergents are much cheaper! The liquid castile soap and the amount used per load in Detergent #3 make it a much more expensive option. The benefit of the homemade detergents is that you know what’s in your detergent and you aren’t out there purchasing container after container of detergent that will probably end up in a landfill.

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April 20, 2009

Easy Homemade Spa Treatment: Olive Oil

Filed under: life — Tags: health, home, natural — K @ 5:33 PM

: Image via Wikipedia

How many times have you gone to take off your caked on eye makeup only to realize that you used the last of it yesterday? Well fret no more… there’s a fantastic (and much cheaper) substitute!

It removes eye makeup
It conditions your hair
It moisturizes your delicate eyelids as well as tough skin
It’s all natural and available organically
You can eat it, too!

So where can you get this miracle remover? Look no further than your kitchen cupboards! Extra Virgin Olive Oil, also known as EVOO, is not just good for your body, it’s good for your eyelids too. Michelle, aka RiceBunny, shows us her experiment in real time on YouTube to show you that it totally works! No chemicals… yay!

Olive Oil has been used for thousands of years for many different reasons. Most famously, olive oil is used as an ingredient in gourmet foods due to its delicious taste and healthy nature. Olive oil is available in many grades, including the infamous EVOO, which is made from olives pressed only once. Before you go have so much fun today trying all these techniques out, remember…

Be careful around your eye area by using your ring finger
Do not put your mixes in the fridge or they will harden like butter
Use within a couple days after mixing so it doesn’t go rancid
When you do the bath treatments be careful! Both you and the tub will be very slippery!

There are also many other different ways to pamper yourself with olive oil:

Bath

Shave with olive oil – it’s a natural lubricant and allows for a close shave.
Scrub your body with an olive oil-salt or olive oil-sugar paste to make it soft and glowing. Essential oils can be added to this mix for an extra pampering treatment.
A variation on the above would be: Mix together 3 tablespoons EVOO, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and 2 tablespoons honey or aloe. Leave on for 2 minutes and then rinse off. This treatment is good for acne and is gentle enough to be used on your body and face everyday. For more specific details, visit Michelle’s page.
Olive bath – add a few tablespoons to your bath water.

Hair

Control hair frizz by combing a small amount of olive oil through dry hair.
Use olive oil as a hair tonic. Comb a small amount through for the look of pomade without the build-up, or add a bit to wet hair for tousled look.
Massage a small amount of olive oil through hair and comb through. Leave on for 1-2 hours then wash hair as normal. This treatment gives your hair a healthful shine.

Extra Moisturization

Use a tiny amount of olive oil to moisturize your cuticles.
Manicure time! Soak your hands in an olive oil-water mix before manicuring.
Mmmmmoisturizer… mix a few drops of olive oil and a few drops of fresh lemon juice in the palm of your hand. This an be applied on damp skin or used as a hair conditioner!

Front page image courtesy of Olives101.com.

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April 10, 2009

Easy Homemade Spa Treatment: Rice Rinse

Filed under: life — Tags: health, home, natural — K @ 3:11 AM

I recently grabbed an issue of “Organic Beauty” magazine at the store. I usually don’t purchase magazines unless I think they’re worth keeping as a reference. And this one was! The premier edition was packed full of organic makeups, eco-friendly companies, and even a few recipes for easy at-home spa treatments

One article that caught my eye was an article on Jamu. Jamu is a way of taking care of your body by using specific herbs both inside and outside of your body through the use of special drinks and topical treatments

One of the “recipes” mentioned was rice rinse, which is an easy way to pamper your skin. The vitamins in the rinse promote healthy skin and soften it, creating a cheap and easy at-home spa treatment.

All that you need for this treatment is rice! How much easier could it get? The “rinse” is just rice water, also known as the water used to wash raw rice before it’s cooked. You’ll see on the package of rice a warning that says, “To retain vitamins and minerals, do not rinse rice before or after cooking.” When you wash the rice, the good stuff gets washed off into the water.

Pour the water off into another bowl and let it stand long enough that the water separates from the mineral-type stuff. Pour off some of the water – just enough that there’s a small amount of water in with the minerals in the bowl. Use it after cleansing your face.

You can also clean your hair with the rice rinse. Akiko at the Long Hair Community discussion boards says that:

For oilier hair you’ll need 1 1/4 cup of rice rinse, 2 teaspoons of shikakai powder, and 1 teaspoon of amla powder…

Add shikakai and amla to rice rinse water

Bring to a boil. Simmer 5 minutes over low heat. Let it cool.

Strain with tea strainer.

Use half of it per hair wash. I pour the liquid in a Rubbermaid dressing bottle with small tip. Pour over my scalp and rub. Put on a shower cap. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes.

Rinse.

If you’re interested in learning more about “jamu” check out these resources.

Jamu: The Ancient Indonesian Art of Herbal Healing by Susan Jane Beers
The Tropical Spa by Sophie Benge
The Jamu Shop

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March 30, 2009

A Natural Way to Clean Animal Urine?

Filed under: DIY — Tags: cleaning, home, natural — K @ 9:15 AM

My husband and I have five kids… not human kids (yet), but little furry kids. Three cats and two dogs to be exact. All but one cat were rescued. Both dogs came from neglectful homes. The dachsie was kenneled all the time and the spaniel was left outside all the time – neither were appropriately potty trained. So, even though most days they are good, the dogs still have accidents inside. Our youngest cat had a urinary tract infection when we rescued her and found a close corner to relieve herself – cat urine is one of a kind and I still haven’t been able to get rid of the unique smell.

I feel the need to back myself up here. Our house is clean and smells fine. It’s just that when you lay down to watch a movie or sit down to do laundry, you can sometimes smell the faint aroma. The smell that our insensitive human noses cannot detect is more than enough to keep our little furry babies coming back to a particular spot.

A few months back, I saw an episode of the British show “How Clean is Your House?” with Kim and Aggie. On camera they use a lot of natural cleaners to help those pitifully disgusting homes. A woman had rescued a cat and then failed (that’s an understatement) to clean up after it. I was elated when they stated they had a cure for cat urine. Their elixir called for warm water, biologicals, and surgical spirits. The latter two took a bit of research because no one in my area had heard of those two ingredients.

Ingredients:

A bowl of warm water
Biologicals. In the states these are known as “digestive enzymes.” Yes, the same kind you find in the pharmacy for digestive problems. I picked up a bottle of 60 capsules for about $5 from my local grocery pharmacist. The capsules contain a 220mg proprietary blend of: protease, amylase, lipase, cellulose, sucrose, maltase, and lactose.
Surgical spirits. This liquid goes by many names: methanol alcohol, methylated spirits, or Meths. In the states this is the same thing as “denatured alcohol” and can be found at a hardware store near the paint removers. It’s also used as a gas for smaller burners such as fondue pots. It’s straight alcohol that’s got a little methanol in it to keep it from being labeled as a food product which would mean much higher taxes. Mine has “less than 4% methanol” in it.

Instructions:

Sop up any wet stain with a sucking device or paper towel.
Pour biologicals/enzymes into a bowl of warm water. I used about 4 cups of water. I opened 5 caplets and poured the powder into the warm water until it was cloudy.
Brush the mixture into the stain.
Pour surgical spirits on and let dry. There’s a warning on the container not to “rub” as it may cause a spark and ignite, so please be careful when dabbing.

While visiting a different local grocery store pharmacist, I asked about digestive enzymes. I specifically mentioned that I would be using them to clean urine. The pharmacist had a couple items behind the counter. Granted they were much more expensive – $17-$30 for 30 pills, but I assume they were also much more concentrated.

Some other items we have tried:

UrineOff
UrineGone
Resolve
Kid’s and Pets
Vinegar
Baking soda
Pet cleaner and stain remover (the stuff made for steam cleaners and SpotBot’s)
I’ve also read good things about Nature’s Miracle but haven’t tried it yet

I think the main key to cleaning up pet urine is to get it sucked up and cleaned up while it’s still fresh. This helps with some of the smell and definitely helps with stains. I received a SpotBot for my birthday over two years ago and we still use it often. One thing to remember when cleaning urine is to never use straight ammonia or products containing ammonia (cleaning solutions, window cleaners, and floor waxes) to clean it. What is urine made out of? Ammonia among other things, which will attract your pet back to the spot!

So……… I’m sure you’re all wondering if this works after I gave you all of this back story and information. The short answer is no. Although it did get out the stain, the following day it failed my nose-to-the-floor sniff. I also tried it on some cat barf. The enzymes literally melted it, which is great! The long answer is: I think it has great potential. Being a naturally curious person, I can’t help but wonder about different factors. Did I use too little enzymes? The recipe told on tv did not say what blend of enzymes in what amount was used. Would more potent enzyme caplets do better? Do I need to repeat the process? Having read a lot about both chemical and natural urine remedies, many pet owners find that with repeat applications, the smell goes away.

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