A while back I had a dear friend of mine introduce me to homemade laundry detergent. She shared with me how one of her daughters had awful reactions to every brand of laundry detergent she had ever purchased (even those that claim to be FREE of all dyes & perfumes). Her daughter would scratch bad sores on her body and would complain of how she felt "itchy", so this sent my friend in search of solution. Enter the homemade laundry detergent. When my friend began making her own laundry detergent she noticed immediately the difference it made. Her daughter no longer complained of feeling "itchy" & she stopped scratching herself! Yay! And not only did this help the health of her daughter, but now she was boosting the health of her entire family and SAVING money! She shared with me one time of how much the break down is of making your own laundry detergent verses buying a brand name from the store. I do believe she spends less than $40 PER YEAR on laundry detergent! So, now she has passed this little treasure on to me, and I make my own laundry detergent for myself and my family. We save money, better our health, and help the environment! Here is what I use to make our laundry detergent (And it's eco-friendly & safe to use with all washers).
1 bar of Fels Naptha or Zote soap
4 cups of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
4 cups of Borax
(My friend uses 3 cups of Washing Soda & 3 cups of Borax)
Now, I need to go make some laundry detergent as you can see from the empty container.
Homemade All Purpose Cleaner
Now that I have shared that I make my own laundry detergent, I think I will share the recipe I use for homemade all purpose cleaner. Again, I have to give credit to my dear friend for introducing me to homemade all purpose cleaner. (Really she has introduced me to a lot!)
All you will need is:
1 spray bottle
water
white distilled vinegar
Eco-friendly dish soap (optional)
I fill the spray bottle up half with water and half with vinegar, and then I add a bit of the dish soap (I don't think my friend uses the dish soap in her cleaner.) Once you have added all the ingredients together in the spray bottle, shake the bottle a bit. Viola! Now you have your very own homemade Eco-friendly all purpose cleaner. I use this to clean in the kitchen, the living room, the bathrooms, and the bedrooms. It is safe to use around children, as well as pets. Another great thing about this cleaner too is that it is another way to help save money!
Happy cleaning!
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What is So Important About Being Eco-Friendly?
I am sure with all the buzz & hype around "eco-friendliness" some of you guys have asked yourself, "what is so important about being eco-friendly?". I can't answer that as blanket whole tried and true answer, but I can give you an answer that fits my reason for choosing eco-friendly.
First, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. As a a follower of Jesus, I have a responsibility.
God spoke: "Let us make human beings in our image, make them
reflecting our nature
So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea,
the birds in the air, the cattle,
And, yes, Earth itself,
and every animal that moves on the face of Earth."
God created human beings;
he created them godlike,
Reflecting God's nature.
He created them male and female.
God blessed them:
"Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!
Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air,
for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth."
Genesis 1:26-28, The Message
God says clearly in the beginning, that we are to care for all of creation. That means that the things that I do have a direct effect on all of creation.
Say what? Yep, you heard me. I am responsible for all of creation, not just myself. The things I clean with, eat, buy, etc. have a direct effect on all of creation.
Secondly, (kind of ties in with the first) where do I think the products that I clean my house with go when they swirl down the drain? When we use cleaning products and pour them down our sinks, bath tub/shower drain, or flush them down our toilets, they find their way out into lakes, streams, creeks, rivers, and oceans. And what is in these bodies of water? Living creatures! So, if I am allowing toxic chemicals to drain out of my drains (or toilets) and into these bodies of water, then in essence, I am poisoning creation. Ooops, doesn't even begin to cover it. Would we willingly and knowingly feed our pets toxic chemicals? Um, no! Hello?! So, why would we want to poison another living creature?
Thirdly, (also ties all together) my family doesn't need all of that toxic mess. If my bottle of cleaning stuff warns me to "KEEP AWAY FROM CHILDREN" then why on earth would I want to clean with it? I mean, it may seem as if mopping the floor, scrubbing the toilet, or washing the dishes with some sort of cleaning material wouldn't have any harm for us if we aren't ingesting it. Boy is that wrong. We eat off of those dishes, don't we? We walk on those floors and smell the "clean" smell in the air, don't we?
These reasons are extremely important to me. I choose eco-friendly not because I want to be called "a hippy" or a "tree hugger", but because it is what I am called to do. As a disciple of Jesus Christ, as a mother, as a wife, as a human being, I am responsible for making good choices. I am responsible for caring for creation. I am responsible for trying to keep my family safe. So, living as eco-friendly as possible is not just the "latest trend" for me. It is a way of life that I think is best. I want to enjoy creation, and I want my house to be as "toxic chemical" free as possible.
I don't know where you stand on "eco-friendliness", but I do hope that if you haven't decided that it is for you yet, that you will take my reasons into consideration. I do hope that you will see it is not just about a trend, but it is about a way of life. And for those of you already living the eco-friendly way, rock on brothers & sisters!
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