BB's HomemaKin'

Laundry Today or Naked Tomorrow- DIY Laundry Detergent

2013-10-28T21:07:00.000-04:00

Since we moved into this house it seems as if we've accumulated 6 times as much laundry and I cant seem to understand why or how.

Now that there's more laundry, it means more loads of fun right? No! Absolutely not! It simply means more expensive detergent and very painful folding sessions.

About 10 months ago I got this crazy idea (from Pinterest) to make my own laundry detergent, mainly to cut costs, and then to see if it would actually clean. So the best recipe of them all came from One Good Thing By Jillie. It was one of the easiest versions. However mostly all of the recipes had the same basic, very cost effective ingredients: Fels Naptha bar soap, Borax, and Arm & Hammer Washing Soda.

I altered my recipe after a few trials. The first batch was really thick, the second was too thin, and now I think I have this one juuuussssstttt right.

Here's my recipe for what I call "BB's Ultra Detergent":

Start with all your ingredients:

1.5 bars of grated Fels Naptha soap
1.5 cups 20 Mule Team Borax
1.5 cups Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
1.5 cups Dawn ultra concentrated dish detergent (blue only)
Measuring cup
Funnels
3-1 gallon jugs

First grate up all your soap. This may take some time so do it while watching tv. Or use two different blades on the mandolin like I did. Be very careful!

After the soap is all grated, put it in a big pot with about 7-8 cups of water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium. I used a wooden spoon to stir it until the soap dissolves well. Please don't go far from this pot because the soap will boil over quick.

Next add in the Borax and Washing Soda. It'll thicken a bit. Bring it back up to a boil until its all dissolved. Then remove from heat.

Now sit your empty jugs in the sink and fill with funnels. The mess of cleaning up liquid soap is not fun. No exact measurements, just fill each of them equally.

Finally you add water to the jugs and give them a shake. You may see some separation but that's ok. The solution will thicken overnight.

Now please note the following:

1. This detergent will not suds up like commercial detergents because its actual soap and not a bunch of added sudsing agents.

2. This will not smell like a field of flowers nor some imaginary tropical vacation, oh and no juices and berries. This detergent has a clean smell, not super fragrant. For the fragrance I sometimes add Purex crystals to the wash separately. *when I added it to the mix, one time it didn't dissolve and the next time the detergent was really thin. Another alternative can be to add Gain in your favorite scent in place of the ultra concentrated Dawn soap.

This detergent last us at least 3 months. I use a full cup to a cup and a half depending on how soiled the laundry is (save the cup from the last time you bought Gain or Tide).

Another tip for when I wash Pup's gym clothes, I add about a tablespoon extra of the Borax and Washing Soda for a boost.

I hope these are easy to follow directions and you can start saving money. I will add a cost breakdown when I find my receipts.

LAUNDRY TODAY OR NAKED TOMORROW!!

Clean Eating: You are what you eat

2013-10-14T21:08:00.002-04:00

My husband and I have been meal prepping and clean eating for about 3-4 months, maybe longer. It all started when he got more serious about his workouts and fitness. One day he'll come home looking like the Incredible Hulk *eekk! It really helps keep us on track, resist the urge to buy fast food, and save money

The idea of meal prepping came from some of his IG followers and its very easy, if you can keep up with it and make a schedule. Our schedule changes because of my work, rotating days and nights.

"fail to plan and plan to fail" *personal pic

I use a composition notebook to jot down new creative ways to get protein, starch, and veggies. I just cant see myself eating chicken, broccoli, and rice everyday. I would go crazy.

So today while I was feeding my addiction, Pinterest (do not judge), I found a recipe that made chicken broccoli & rice much more interesting. I had all the ingredients in the fridge except the broth and turkey bacon. This meal took me an hour and its great!! I added more seasonings like garlic powder, onion powder, chicken seasoning, red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, and seasoned salt. Try out the recipe from Kevin & Amanda

Source: Kevin & Amanda

Welcome

2013-10-14T20:18:00.000-04:00

Hello all,

Welcome to BB's Homemakin'. I've chosen to make my first post about creating this blog. The reason is because somehow I thought it would be easy to create a blog but I learned really quick that's not so. There are many things I had no idea about and I'm still trying to learn like those easy-but-sometimes-not-really html codes.

I found help on my awesome, all knowing recourse, Pinterest (dont judge my addiction). There are endless tips from all areas of blogging. One of the things I had trouble with was adding social networking buttons to my sidebar. I found help at Greatfun and from The SITS Girls.

Now that I've got a jump start on designing my blog, I'm ready to start posting my projects, my natural hair tips, and some recipes about clean eating. In a nutshell this blog will be all about BB's HomemaKin', one project at a time. I hope that you subscribe to keep up with me and all my DIY's.