Homemade Laundry detergent

I love the Duggars! I love the full quiver idea and I love laundry...OK well I guess I don't love laundry. But, I am a huge fan of making laundry easier and more cost effective for my family. This is probably not an EASIER option but, it is more cost effective and if you are a little goofy, like myself, you will think grating soap with your amazing food processor is fun!

So here is what I've learned over the last few months. Making powdered detergent is easy, it gets clothes clean, and yes I use it on my cloth diapers!! NO fancy pants high price detergent for my kids bum. Just homemade goodness. On a side note, I have a friend that used this recipe on her cloth diapers for over a year. She loved it and said she never had problems with ammonia build up or staining.

I use this recipe:    

Powdered Laundry Detergent - Top load machine

1   Fels-Naptha soap bar
1  Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*
½  Cup Borax

-Grate soap or break into pieces and process in a food processor until powdered. Mix all ingredients. For light load, use 1 Tablespoon. For heavy or heavily soiled load, use 2 Tablespoons. Yields: 3 Cups detergent. (Approx. 40 loads)

*Arm & Hammer "Super Washing Soda" - in some stores or may be purchased online here (at Meijer.com). Baking Soda will not work, nor will Arm & Hammer Detergent - It must be sodium carbonate!!

**** Side note: For my cloth diapers, I have a HE LG front loading washing machine. I used the same amount of detergent recommended in this recipe but, I add extra water to the wash and rinse cycle. Also, I add the extra rinse cycle too.

So, my steps to washing cloth diapers are:

1. Dump all diapers in HE LG  washer, wash on normal cycle, cold/cold, water plus, extra rinse with NO DETERGENT.

2. Second wash 1 or 2 Tbsp detergent, wash on normal cycle hot/cold, water plus, extra rinse. 

3. Dry in dryer..(I know, stop glaring at me, I will be replacing all my Velcro soon) or hang outside on a clothes line. Outside is best because the sun natural bleaches out staining. 

****Side note number two: Guess what! After 2 months, I realized my washer has a rinse and spin cycle option. So, now I use this button instead of washing the diapers on a normal cycle without detergent for Step. 1 

I have not tried this recipe but it looks like a goodie!  

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine- best value

4  Cups - hot tap water
1  Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*
½ Cup Borax

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)

-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

*Arm & Hammer "Super Washing Soda" - in some stores or may be purchased online here (at Meijer.com). Baking Soda will not work, nor will Arm & Hammer Detergent - It must be sodium carbonate!!

TIPS FOR LAUNDRY SOAP: Use Fels-Naptha  bar soap in the homemade soap recipes, but you can use Ivory, Sunlight, Kirk's Hardwater Castile or Zote bars. Don't use heavily perfumed soaps. I buy Fels-Naptha from Wegmans. Washing Soda and Borax can often be found on the laundry or cleaning aisle. Recipe cost approx. $2 per batch.

Cloth Diaper 101

Since the day we brought Anna home from the hospital- she has been in cloth diapers. Some people wait a few weeks before starting, but we figured if we didn't start from the beginning- we may never switch over to cloth diapers. Another reason was that I was so excited to start the process. I had day dreamed about my little baby in cute little cloth diapers since the day we found out we were pregnant, I couldn't wait to make that dream come true! I literally think the moment we walked into the house- we were at that changing table putting on her cute little pink diaper

Why are we using cloth? Yes, it saves the environment a little, but really- disposable diapers will be made whether we buy them or not.

The reason we do it is because:

1) most people around here cloth diaper- so it was normal to us. Scott hadn't been around too many diaper changes until we moved here and babysat some of our friends kids- so cloth was really all he knew.

2) It saves money and is good for the environment- but really both of those are pretty minial reasons why we chose to cloth diaper

3) It was a challenge for me- and I was up to the challenge!

4) After not being able to give birth to my daughter "the normal way" or naturally- this was something I could do. I needed to feel in control of something!

5) It's what is best for our daughter. Why wouldn't you give them the best possible. What is in fact inside those disposables? Do we truly know if they are safe? Why risk your child's health on something you could prevent. Here's how I look at it. When you go to someones house, do you bring store bought pie or a homemade pie. Of course, you bring the homemade. It's just better. That's how I looked at cloth diapers (weird analogy, I know!)

We love it. Looking back- I have never once doubted our decision. Sure, sometimes it takes a little more work, but its completely worth it.

Here are some supplies we have.

-When Anna was first born, we started off with 12 BumGenius 3.0 - Extra Smalls (6-12 lbs). My friend and I split them (her baby was born 3 months earlier- so would be done with them by the time Anna was born). We bought them at Thanksgiving time when they were on sale. She stayed in the XS for about 1-2 months and then we continued to integrate the 4.o All-in-one diapers and she is still in those today.

-18 cloth diapers (we started with about 6 and slowly bought more):

BumGenius 4.0- All in One. I recommend this diaper to everyone. It is by far my favorite. The snaps are going to last through the entire diapering experience and multiple babies- so make sure to get the ones with snap closure instead of velcro (the velcro will pick and loose its ability to hold the diaper shut)

(note, these are all the 4.0 diapers- just set on different size snaps to make the different sizes. The smallest fits about 8-9 pound babies and the biggest goes up to about 35lbs)

Flip- we have two covers and about 10 liners. This is a money saver and allows you to use one cover for multiple diaper changes. You simply put the liners in your trashcan and keep replacing them with fresh ones.

-Diaper Sprayer- this is a MUST if you are doing cloth diapers

-Trash Can- any cheap kind will work though

-Pail Liner- you put all the diapers in this (in the trashcan) and then when you wash diapers- you also wash this with them... so you need 2- one to use while other is washing/drying

-Wipes- either regular wipes or cloth wipes. If using cloth wipes- I make a solution or will buy a liquid concentrate. If I'm lazy or we have just gotten back from vacation- I use regular wipes and throw them away.

-Detergent- Rockin' Green Detergent. Hands down the only detergent you will ever need. Nothing else works.

Our routine:

-Take dirty diaper (and cloth wipes, if you are using them) and pull the liners out of the diaper. Place all of it in the pail liner which is in your trashcan. If it is a poopy diaper, first spray poop off with your diaper sprayer and then wring it out and put into your trashcan.

-Repeat process (many times during the day!)

-About every two days, take the entire bag to the washing machine. Turn bag inside out and put the bag and the diapers into the washing machine. Set the washing machine on cold rinse and do a rinse. (If i'm feeling like I need a little more cleaning, I will do an entire washing cycle). After this is done, pour in the detergent... I use about three scoops, and run an entire washing cycle with an extra rinse on hot. After this is done, take your diapers outside and hang them on the line.

-When they are dry, stuff the diapers so that you don't have to do it with a squirming baby on the changing table and you are ready to go!

It's that simple!

Video demonstration of how to cloth diaper coming soon!








Cloth Diapers 101

Thanks to my sweet hubby for filming this for me. Thanks also for not telling me that our swifter and Anna's church bookbag were in the background... excuse our mess :)





(Granola Mamas- feel free to add your experience and tips to this post)