Making your own laundry detergent

Time to do laundry, yet again. But I am almost out of laundry soap! Time to make another batch of laundry soap.

I know, it's so very weird to make laundry soap at home, but it is easy and extremely cheap compared to buying laundry soap.





LAUNDRY DETERGENT
Hot Water
1 cup Washing Soda (NOT baking soda)
1/2 cup Borax
1 soap bar

Grate the bar soap and add to a large saucepan with hot water. Stir over medium low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.
Fill a 10 gallon pail half full with HOT water. Add the melted soap, Borax and washing soda. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Top the pail with more hot water.
Let set for 24 hour.
Use 1 cup per load, stirring soap before each use.

I read on one recipe to use 2 cups of grated soap. I have skimped on the grated soap the last two times I have made it, and it never gelled. I am hoping that if I increase the amount of soap it will gel this time!

This detergent works well, I just shake it before using each time. If my clothes are really dirty, I add a bit of booster to the wash (like Oxyclean or something). I read that you can add regular hydrogen peroxide to the laundry (which is basically all Oxyclean is, powdered hydrogen peroxide)....but I have never tried it! If that works for you, leave me a comment. If it DOESN'T work, leave a comment so others know to avoid it.

Memorial Day weekend

Ah...it's been such a wonderful weekend. Good weather, time to relax outside. Couldn't ask for better weather.

I've been rather lazy this weekend, up until today. I got out into the garden, did a bunch of weeding, and put down the soaker hose for our watering needs. My sweetie has it set up on a timer, so it automatically comes on about 6am every morning. It was nice to check out the garden, whine about the weeds, and see how well things are growing.

I also rigged a pulley system for the duck feeder, so that I can raise the feeder out of reach when the ducks are out of their house. Like me, they are lazy, and will hang near the easy food unless I remove it. Come on, guys! Go out and eat some bugs, please (but stay away from my petunias)! It will also gets it away from my dogs (who will sneak in and eat the grain. Who knew?).

I also bought some ornamental grass plants for around the new pond. I am a sneaky person (or cheap, as my kids would say). I bought gallon size plants, and then carefully split them into smaller plants, teasing them apart and carefully cutting the roots. You can do this with some grasses, daylilies, and other plants....any thing to make the money go farther! We have been living at this home for over 10 years and I have no plans of moving, so I can afford to be patient and see the plants fill out over the next few years.

Hubby is working on the pump house to go behind the water wheel. Whoo, boy, it has made him cranky. Just one more step in our long-range plans for our backyard. One step at a time.

The ducks finally discovered the larger pond yesterday. They were so excited when they finally all got settled in the pond. When I went to put them in their house at 10pm last night, all four of them were still swimming in the pond. Come on, guys---parties over, time for bed! And my petunias are no longer safe from them.