30 March 2009

Productive weekend

I don't really have a lot to report. It felt like a productive weekend - I got half of the birthday cards made and finally made up the laundry detergent so I could get the clothes washed and back in the drawers where they belong, and got some seedlings started.

Actually, the laundry detergent was an especially rewarding adventure -- I have had the materials for months, but kept putting it off until I was out of commercial detergent. Turned out to be *very* easy and so far seems very effective.

The gel turned out far more substantial than I was expecting, and I have to dilute it or is causes our (front loading) washing machine to backwash for a moment before it dissolved. That's no big deal, though. And I will probably bring it all back upstairs and add more hot water to it to make the runnier gel I was expecting.

Still not sure what causes that, though.

4 comments:

  1. Please share your "recipe"! I have been making more and more of our household and body cleaning supplies. It can be so rewarding.
    Gina

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  2. Hi, Gina!

    Well, what I have so far (which gels too much for a front-loader) is:

    one bar of fels-naptha in five cups of water, melted.
    1 cup of borax
    1/2 cup of washing soda
    in 3 gallons of hot water
    30 drops lavender oil

    It cleans really well, and I'll be working on how to make the consistency work. (I'm thinking more water.)

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  3. Nice recipe. I have the opposite problem as you lol. I am trying to figure out how to thicken the shower gel that I make. Adding aloe vera gel didn't thicken it enough. Did you know that they now sell these cool containers that take your regular liquid soap or bath gel and turn it into a shower friendly foam (I got mine at New Seasons)? I'm using one for my overly water bath gels and it works great.
    Gina

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