Both my son and I have very sensitive skin, allergies and the issues that go along with them. I have adapted to these circumstances by adding some all natural home made products to our everyday life. I hope to use this page to share those with the world. Please leave comments if you use any of these ideas or recipes and include helpful information or results that they bring to you. I advise everyone to do skin tests before trying any of the ideas or recipes below. If you are not sure how to conduct a skin patch test, click on this link for more info: patch testing for skin allergies
A few of the recipes below came from a book I stumbled upon and have since flagged, decorated with all types of notes, and tweaked many parts to my personal preference. Organic Housekeeping: In Which the Non-Toxic Avenger Shows You How to Improve Your Health and That of Your Family, While You Save Time, Money, and, Perhaps, Your Sanity by Ellen Sandbeck. I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a different, inexpensive and effective way to get a little greener around the house.
Three of the recipes I make often are for the laundry. I researched a couple of different ways to make it and went with the dry powder type of detergent and liquid for fabric softener and stain remover. I also do not have a high tech front loading washing machine. My washing machine is the same one my parents had when I was growing up (circa 1980ish??) Check with your owner’s manual or distributor if you have any questions or concerns.
LAUNDRY DETERGENT:
Ingredients:
1 Bar soap of choice (approx 9-10+ oz)
1 cup baking soda (or you can use washing soda but I have yet to find it at a grocery)
1 cup borax
For the detergent you can use whatever bar soap that you know is safe for your skin type. We have had success with Dove sensitive skin unscented (see photo below) and Zote. The Dove is a bit more expensive but easy to find in grocery stores. I was able to find Zote local to my area at Albertson's grocery store for less than one dollar a bar. I prefer the Zote because it is a bigger bar, it grates easier, and it is less expensive.
Once you have your ingredients together you will need to grate the soap. You can either use the grater blade in a food processor or use a hand grater. Then combine grated soap, baking soda, and borax in the food processor and whirl until well mixed. Once mixed, let the ingredients sit in the food processor a minute and settle or when you open the lid you will have a fine dust poof in your face. I store mine in a round plastic food storage container with a dedicated spoon inside of it. I usually use two tablespoons of mix to a small load and use judgment as needed for larger loads. Sometimes I double the recipe so I have to make it less often. A double recipe will usually last me anywhere from 4 - 6 weeks depending on how many loads I wash a week (usually avg 10 loads a week). Please comment if you try this recipe and what kind of success or failures you have with it too!
Laundry Fabric Softener:
Ingredients:
1 cup white distilled vinegar
1 cup baking soda
2 cups water
10 drops essential oil of choice (for fragrance - my fav is geranium or lavender)
I prefer to use white distilled vinegar made from grain as suggested from the Organic Housekeeping book I mentioned above, just check the label for info. You will need a large mixing bowl to mix the ingredients. Something along the lines of a bowl to make enough batter for 3 dozen cookies, the ingredients will fizz so you need some room for it to bubble. I usually place my large mixing bowl in the sink and then go at it. CAREFULLY combine IN THIS ORDER vinegar, baking soda (this is the ingredient that fizzes so add it slowly and in parts until you are familiar with the process, it may catch you off guard the first time), water and essential oil. I then use a spoon to stir things up, pour into a plastic liquid measuring cup with a lip, and then transfer into the plastic bottle. Or you might try a funnel. Before using I shake the bottle to combine the ingredients, they will settle as my bottle sits in my laundry closet. I add to the fill line of the fabric softener slot in my washing machine. I find myself making this recipe the most. If I had a larger plastic bottle I could probably keep more of it on hand. Please comment if you try this recipe and what kind of success or failures you have with it too!
LAUNDRY PRE-WASH STAIN REMOVER:
Ingredients:
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup Castille soap of choice
1/2 cup cloudy ammonia
10 drops essential oil of choice (my favs geranium, lavender, or lemon)
Be careful when working with the ammonia, READ LABELS! Use a funnel and combine ingredients in the spray bottle one at a time. Put spray nozzle on bottle and shake to combine ingredients. Label the plastic spray bottle and shake before each use. Spray it on the stain and then wash the clothes IMMEDIATELY. You don't want to leave the ammonia sitting on the clothing because it may discolor. Use this to treat clothing right before putting them in the wash. I have never had it discolor any clothing because I have ONLY sprayed it on the clothing before throwing into running washing machine. I can tell you that it STINKS, but it is the ammonia that stinks when you spray it and the smell doesn't stay on the clothing. I advise to spray away from your face or nose, as far away as your arms can reach, because it is a bit overpowering to my nose. However, it doesn't cause our skin to itch so it is worth it in the long run for our family. One recipe will usually last me a few months depending on the amount of stains we have come through the laundry. Please comment if you try this recipe and what kind of success or failures you have with it too!
My comments: If it is a really tough greasy stain I will resort back to "Shout" stain remover, but then I have to wash the clothes a few times before wearing them. For pesky grass stains on my son's white baseball pants I have used borax and pretty much scrubbed it into the damp pants with a scrub brush and then soaked them in the sink overnight. The next morning I put in the washing machine.
I try to stay away from bleach too. Once a month I use Rit White-Wash for our whites, but it is only for UNBLEACHABLE whites, if you put it in with anything that is beige it will take the beige right out of it and leave you with a lighter shade of pale. I learned this lesson when I threw some beige wash clothes and towels in with the Rit White-Wash. I am still not sure what in the heck I was thinking on that day!
