Domestic Goddess at Work

Most people don't think it's enough that I make my own spectacular soaps. Some people know that I put together my own flower arrangements, love to cook, and have created my own Christmas wreaths. That, however, is where the domestic deity-esque traits come to an end.

Until today.

For those of you who may've just woken up from a coma or have been in space for the past year, now's as good a time as any to tell you we're in a recession. And not like a recession's bad enough - I can pretty creatively stretch a dollar if I have to - but a recession on top of Christmas is a nightmare! It's one thing to make that dollar stretch to cover food, rent and bills, but adding presents on top of that is a challenge. Well, as sometimes happens, I had the money in hand, I went to the grocery store and I forgot laundry detergent with at least three loads in queue. Yea. I trotted upstairs to start at least the first load, thinking that I had enough detergent to get something accomplished before I had to run buy more later. I'm pouring the detergent into the lid... And a bit pours out... Then it slows to a trickle... And I've got not even an ounce of detergent in there. Hrmmmmm, what to do?

Then I remembered...

A few months ago, I started researching homemade laundry soap with the intent of making my own. The main thing is, the soap for laundry soap needs to be a bit more on the harsher side, and I just haven't had the time to make a batch like that. I did have one leftover bar, though, that pretty much crumbled the moment I tried to cut it, so I ran it through the food processor and turned it into powder. It's just been sitting and meditating on the meaning of life for a while now. This morning, I turned it into laundry soap by combining 2 parts soap to 1 part borax to 1 part washing soda. It seems to be working pretty well, though the real test will be my husband's nasty work clothes.

It only takes 2 tablespoons (one ounce) of the laundry powder to get the clothes clean. It doesn't lather or bubble like detergents do, but that's the trade-off when using a natural product. Besides, it's not the bubbles that get clothes clean; it's the soap itself. The borax softens water and the washing soda is a laundry booster.

Yes, I'm quite well aware I told you how I made my laundry soap. After all, you can Google to find the directions. I just figure, ya know, we're all in this recession together. Even if you happen to be reading this post from the office in your Paris flat, the recession's still impacting you, too. Some soapmakers are just soooooooo snooty about their formulas and techniques, believing that they're so much better than everyone else, that they won't even think of sharing even the simplest recipe. However, these ingredients are easy for everyone to find, and I'm certainly happy to share even this small way of making life a little easier and cheaper for everyone dealing with financial hardships, or maybe just those who are looking for a healthier, greener way to wash clothes.