Going Green: Soft Scrub

For most of these "green" products, I have to give a big shout-out to my fabulous mother, Jan:

She has her own "green only" cleaning business. So, basically... she is a professional and a genius. Trust me.

This is her recipe for a "soft scrub." I use this in the shower, toilet, and sink areas. She only likes to use it for the shower. However, I have this weird tendency to want to know that something was "scrubbed" really well in order to be clean. Just make it and see how you like it, but definitely try it on the shower! I used it this morning and it even took off the soap scum from the awful glass doors we have on the master bath shower.

You'll need:

1 & 2/3 C baking soda

1/2 C water

1/2 C Castille Liquid Soap (I used unscented)

2 Tbsp white vinegar

A few drops of an essential oil (I used tea tree oil because I like its disinfectant quality)

Bottle to hold solution (I used a 20oz recycled Coke bottle)

Directions:

Mix baking soda, water, and liquid soap together in a bowl.

Add the vinegar. Don't be alarmed when it fizzles!

Stir together well and then add drops of the essential oil. Add however much you like - you may like a stronger scent than I do.

Give it one last stir, pour into whatever container you like and close the lid tightly. Done!

When you are ready to use this, you may notice that the scrub has gotten a little stiff. Give it a good shake or add a few drops of water and another good shake. It'll loosen up and work its magic on your shower. I use an old washcloth turned rag and just scrub away!

Happy Cleaning!

Going Green: Laundry Detergent

The Preston household is making a commitment to "go green." We want to use more natural, organic, local, and earth-friendly products and food in our home. This is a huge commitment - it takes both time and money. However, in the long run, it makes us feel healthy and good about how we run our home. One of our first attempts at "going green" is laundry detergent. Now, if you are married to man like my husband, he'll go through three outfits a day. Plus, as a military man who works on a ship all day, he comes home covered in grease, oil, and dirt. Laundry time is ALL THE TIME. So, to cut down on our costs, waste, and putting chemicals back into the water, we decided to use an all-natural laundry detergent.

Here's the recipe.

You'll need:

Borax (about $4), Washing Soda (about $3), and Castille soap ($2.50 for 3 bars).

First, in a medium size bowl, add 1 cup Borax:

And 1 cup Washing Soda:

And 1 ENTIRE bar of Castille soap - grated.

It doesn't hurt to have a handsome husband help with the grating, either. He loves being involved! 

Mix all 3 ingredients together and you're done!

Here's the end product. If you are like me, and all your appropriately sized tupperware is holding leftovers in your fridge, just grab a plastic bag. 

Use about 1/4 cup per load. This recipe will do about 15-20 loads.

If you have a particularly oily or greasy load of laundry (like I do a few times a week!), just add a drizzle of your regular dishwashing detergent. It will pull out all the grease! 

I washed our first load with this detergent and it worked perfectly. Enjoy!