Green?

The bottle says, “eco +”.  The plus must mean the chlorine bleach and silicate salts.  The caution states do not mix with ammonia or other cleaning products … avoid eye contact … and you get my drift.  This stuff could kill us, but it’s, “Friendly to LAKES and STREAMS”.   The Federal Trade Commission revised guidelines for companies that make environmental claims in ads.  The guides apply to environmental claims in marketing materials; logos; brand names; etcetera.  For interesting reading, please see:  http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/grnrule/guides980427.htm

I’m not waiting anymore for the corporate “green?!”.  Our family is about 10 laundry loads into homemade detergent.  I spent less than a dollar and 20 minutes playing chemist in the kitchen.  Our clothes are clean and I don’t smell up the laundry room with the sea breeze, powder fresh clean scent, and other stuff that makes me sneeze.

Recipes are all over the internet.  I tweaked one to fit the pots in my kitchen.  Instead of bleach, I put a bit of vinegar in the “bleach tray” on the washer.

1 gallon Water (hot) (16 cups)
1/2 bar Castile Soap (grated)
1 cup Baking soda

• Melt grated soap in a saucepan with enough hot tap water to cover. Cook on medium-low heat, stirring frequently until soap is melted.
• In a large pot, pour 1 gallon water. Heat. Add melted soap, stir well.
• Then add the baking soda, stir well again.
• Use 1/2 cup per full load, 1 cup per very soiled load.

I cut a bar of soap in half and grated it (be careful with knife) into a large pot – the size you would use to make soup or chili for the whole family.  I poured about a cup of water into the pot and stirred as the soap melted. I heated a gallon of water, hot like tea, in another pot and poured that into the larger soap pot (that way, I use all the melted soap). Add the baking soda slowly ‘cause you will have a huge white foamy mess!  After the detergent cools, use a funnel to pour into an old recycled laundry detergent container; mine was from an online eco-friendly company, but the stuff is too darn expensive!  Note:  Timesaving shortcut: 2 oz or ¼ cup liquid pure castile soap.  Warm the water; add baking soda; stir; add liquid castile; stir; and let cool.  Cool!  Shake the bottle each time you do laundry. Try it and let me know what you think. 

Thanks: publicdomainpictures.net