As many of you know, last fall I fell and broke both feet and was immobile for several months. It didn’t take long spending that much time stuck inside before it felt like the walls were collapsing in. All our possessions became stuff, just smothering clutter. I craved open space and simple surroundings.
As soon as I was back on my feet I began cleaning, giving away, selling, and trashing everything that was neither necessary nor loved. My mission to declutter the house soon became a mission to simplify life. And soon I realized it was time to take my philosophy of sustainable farming and transfer it to sustainable living. The question became, what could I make or grow that would require less dependency on weekly shopping while continuing to live a good life?
While I was totally excited to be making my own laundry detergent, I fear my family thinks I have gone crazy. That was until I told them how little I spent on ingredients and how well it worked. Ha! Who is laughing now!
Laundry Detergent
- 1/3 bar Fels Naptha
- 1/2 cup washing soda
- 1/2 cup borax powder
Bring 4 quarts of water to a soft boil. Meanwhile grate a 1/3 a bar of Fels Naptha soap. Reduce heat to medium, add grated soap and stir until soap completely melts.
Add the washing soda and borax and stir until dissolved. Remove from heat.
Add quarts of cold water to clean bucket. Add hot soap mixture and stir. Let the soap sit for 24 hours or until slightly gelled.
Store in gallon container. Use 1/3 to 1/2 cup per load.
