Lets get clean

In an effort to become more self sufficient I have read lots of information on all the ways you can make this possible. While I tend towards jumping in head first when I get excited about things, there is just so much that you can do to change your lifestyle that I can only help but to take this one step at a time.

Part of being more self sufficient to me means making more of less. If I can spend less money on the everyday things, (some things that we have been made to think are necessary) the more money I have to do things like build a new hoop house.

I also am very interested in trying to keep chemicals out of my life as much as possible. You can read endless amounts of information about this on the internet so I wont even get started on that here. Anyways, for cleaning supplies for as long as its been out in my area, I have used Method cleaners. I love them, they smell great and get the job done for me, but yes they do cost about 3 something a bottle. And if you know me you know I like to keep a place clean so that money adds up. So I have done a lot of searching and have whipped up some homemade cleaners with the following ingredients that wont burn holes in your floor. If you buy these things and have them on hand you can clean about anything-

*Borax
*Washing soda
*Vinegar
*Castile soap
*Baking soda
*Lemon juice
*And if you want some scent to things an essential oil in whatever you like best!

Im not going to post the recipes that I used just yet. I want some time to try them out before I go on telling other people what works!

What I will share is an awesome little blend for clothes detergent! I have been using this so I can say it does work and it is so cheap it will knock your dirty socks off. Once finished its less than a penny a load! Really can you imagine picking up a box of 40 load tide for 40 cents, never gonna happen! Heres what you need-

*Borax
*Washing soda
*Bar of ivory soap
*Essential oil if you like
*Five gallon bucket with lid

Set up a pot on the stove and put in five cups of water, use a grater and grate up the bar of ivory soap into the pot. Stir the soap around until it is all dissolved.

Put 3 gallons of water in your bucket and then add in the ivory soap water. Stir this until its all mixed good. Now add 1/2 cup of washing soda and stir it until its all dissolved. Now add a gallon of water. Now pour in a cup of borax and stir that until its all dissolved. Now top off with another almost gallon and stir. Then you can add a few drops of the essential oil for good smellys if you so desire. I used mandarin orange. Leave it sit overnight and it will set up and kind of gel. It wont look normal, it will be kind of snotty looking when you stir it around, this is ok. Remember that it does not have all the added chemicals that would make it nice and smooth. 

Thats it! Use half a cup for each load. You can decant it into something easier for you to sit in your laundry cupboard if you need to. My laundry area is in the basement so i'm going to leave the bucket next to the washer with a measuring cup on the lid. 

In other news, we were at the Hartville flea market again last saturday. Heres what our little set up looked like.

I sold a nice amount of veggies to people, it was really nice to talk to others who appreciated organic growing and things of the like. There were a few who wanted to let us know that I was charging too much, even when I told them what I was selling I seen a few eye rolls. Thats ok, wal mart has plenty of plants for them. Last time an old guy asked me "Why the heck you charging so much for dem eggs??" Always worth a laugh!

Heres mabel enjoying some shade.

And if you would have been there you could have picked up this beauty, what for I have no idea!!