Tuesday, October 18, 2011

sam vs. the lemon, tide vs. homemade detergent & more

i just had to share this video of sam eating a lemon...



i laugh every single time i see it!!

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i've tried something new - homemade laundry detergent! i'm a pretty skeptical person - just ask my hubby - so my expectations were not high. i've seen this recipe (and others very similar to this) a lot lately. so with much hesitation, i jumped on the bandwagon.

i'm sad to admit, but my main concern wasn't "will this get my clothes clean?" but it was "how will this make my clothes smell?" i'm a little peculiar when it comes to smells (thanks dad!) and i'm particularly concerned with our clothes. lee confirmed my strange behavior when i told him about my latest endeavor. he quickly said, "that'll never last because you won't like the way it smells."

before i tell you my final conclusion about this, let me tell you how it was made...

there are just 3 simple ingredients and all were found at wal-mart and kroger; borax, fels-naptha, and washing soda (not to be confused with baking soda). i admit that i had never used any of these things before. actually, i had never heard of these things before!

to make the detergent, you first grate all of the fels-naptha (it's basically a bar of soap) with a cheese grater. then you mix it with 1 cup of borax and 1 cup of washing soda. that's it!! nothing more, nothing less. you use 1 heaping tablespoon per load or more to your liking.


conclusion?!?

i'm pleasantly surprised!

the smell is fresh and clean and it really does clean your clothes! i confess - i still use one of my absolute favorite things...

...downy fabric softener. i love, love, love this stuff!!

one the most exciting parts?! all 3 items cost me less than $5.00! and the borax and washing soda will last a long time! needless to say, this detergent will be a regular around our house!


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a glimpse into our "pumpkin patch adventure" from a few weeks ago

{click on the collage above to enlarge the pictures}

this time of year makes me happy!

2 comments:

  1. Mindy, thank you so much for the invitation! Your girls are beautiful and Sam is just so adorable!! I want to catch up reading some of your posts but couldn't resist leaving a comment after looking at your pictures. Also, I think I'm going to have to try the homemade laundry detergent. I've heard about it but been very skeptical. You made it sound so easy! :)

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  2. My best friend and I make the same homemade detergent. i LOVE it!! it's smells so good, and it's so much cheaper!! also, i'm pretty sure you'll figure this out....but one batch of it almost fills a large mason jar. which means you can make it cute and give it away as housewarming,"i think you're cool", or christmas gifts.

    and thanks for the new video of sam!! i love creeping your family! :) love you guys and hope you are doing well!

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