Hello friends,May I share a secret with you? Most know I'm a vegetarian, prefer raw food, and if not for baked goods I would be vegan (eggs/dairy). Several years ago I embraced the reusable grocery bag and try to buy organic/local.
Confession: in 2004 I made cleaning products for our home. Why? I was curious and while my family doesn't live 'off the grid' it was a small change with good benefits.
But... slowly I ran out of ingredients to make products and started buying mostly organic. While this is great, it comes with packaging. My family recycles but we could do better, so we try to bring as little garbage into our home as possible.
Today... I have been following homesteader/author Ashley English for a few years. Reading her books/blog inspire me. A few months ago she was interviewed on a podcast for Pure Green Magazine, my new obsession. I appreciate the approach to try... simply try and celebrate small changes. Back in 2004 I tried to implement change too quickly. Today I'm making small steps.
I bought the book All you need is Less after listening to a podcast. The book includes strategies/practical tips to live with less, and recipes to make several items from a few shared ingredients. This is right up my alley, right Robin?!While in Budapest with friends a few weeks ago, I shared some of the ideas and recipes I was interested to try. A few are curious to hear if homemade laundry soap works, and they are all interested in the two ingredient shampoo and conditioner.
Baby steps... let's start with laundry soap.First, I purchased two bars of lavender soap (from a countryside Hungarian family selling the soap). Sounds wonderful right?
I couldn't wait to get home and try making a batch of laundry soap, even though I was a little skeptical. Saturday I made one batch, four cups that will last for 70 loads of dirty laundry. Total cost: $3.00 USD. I tried it yesterday and my laundry is soft, and the smell is a non-chemical clean making me want to wash everything right now. After one load... I'm hooked.
To compare: Vaska uses 5 ingredients, Meyer's lists 20, and Tide doesn't list their ingredients.
I have been using Vaska for about a year, I love it but want to eliminate packaging where possible this year.
Have you tried to make anything homemade?
