- Dish soap (see #3)
- Hand soap (see #3)
- Shampoo. Alright, so pause. Don’t buy shampoo? Yup, I stopped using traditional shampoo in January and I’ve never looked back. I use the same product now for shampoo, dish soap, and hand soap. And that wonderful product is DR. BRONNER’S liquid castille soap. The bottle of this says it’s 18-in-1 and I seriously don’t doubt it. You can buy this stuff in big bottles from Target, CVS, health food stores, online. If you’re feeling ambitious you can even buy a jug. Or you can start out with smaller bottles and see how you like it (hint: you will) and then save those little bottles for future use of transferring bulk soap into manageable bottles in the kitchen and bathroom.
This product does not foam as well as regular dish detergent– largely because it does not contain chemical foaming agents– but that means you don’t have to rinse something out 17 times to get all the suds out, which is great. It seems to foam perfectly well for hair though. I started using this when I still had long hair and it gave me wonderful volume, so I would highly recommend.
Save money, save yourself from questionable chemicals (post on that coming up soon), save plastic. Plus, this stuff smells fantastic. Lavender is my personal favorite, but they also have peppermint, tea tree, orange, and several other scents. - Lotion. This stuff is FILLED with nasty chemicals and preservatives. Again, I’ll be doing a post soon about ingredients to avoid. But if you own anything from Bath and Body Works, their formulas are terrible. Full of parabens. Actually, surprisingly, Cetaphil is a huge offender of parabens too– you can read about those nasty suckers here.
But anyway, coconut oil is a fantastic moisturizer. And you’ll smell like a macaroon depending on what brand you buy. I see nothing wrong with that. You probably already own coconut oil (olive oil is a good moisturizer as well, or pretty much any oil), so there’s no need to waste money on chemically laden lotions. (Side note: for face moisturizer at night and in the winter, shea butter is a miracle worker.) - Chemical cleaning supplies. Sprays and all purpose cleaners you get at the store have a whole slew of chemicals in them– and they probably aren’t even listed on the bottle. Since you are using these in a confined indoor space, it can be especially harmful to be inhaling them. A simple, greener, cheaper option requires just three ingredients: water, distilled white vinegar, essential oils (to mask the vinegar smell). Just get a spray bottle (or save one of your old ones and give it a good rinse) and mix one part water and one part vinegar (i.e. 1 cup of each) and 20-40 drops of essential oil. Tea tree and/or lemon are great options because they are both natural disinfectants.
Additionally, buying cleaning supplies like Swiffer floor wipes is pretty wasteful. You can save ratty old t-shirts and cut them up to fit on your Swiffer handle and then use your vinegar solution to clean, wash and re-use!
cleaning
Homemade Laundry Detergent- 3 Ingredients
I’ve been making my own laundry detergent since probably October and I really enjoy this simple, more natural, homemade recipe. It’s cheaper than traditional detergent too—or at least not more expensive.
- One 55 ounce box Washing Soda– $4.99
- One 76 ounce box of Borax – $5.99
- One Bar Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castille Bar Soap– $4
These prices are rough estimates (and much more expensive on Amazon than I’ve found in stores), but I know $15 of product lasted me 7-8 months washing a full load about every 2 weeks.
I used to get so itchy, especially at night, but not anymore. I think some of my itchiness was anxiety related, but also likely chemically related to something in those harsh detergents.
This means:
– Largely, ingredients aren’t listed on detergent bottles.
– Many of them contain surfactants that are derived from petrochemicals (substances obtained by the refining and processing of petroleum or natural gas)– not something you want on your skin
– chemicals in detergents can create oxygen-depleted dead zones in aquatic environments, kill aquatic life, possibly disrupt the endocrine systems of humans and animals, and persist in the environment and break down into additional toxic byproducts
– “Problematic” levels of 1,4-dioxane, a potential carcinogen, were detected in original formula Tide detergent
– The plastic containers that liquid detergents come in aren’t recyclable or resuable, leading to a large volume of packaging going to the landfill. The ingredients in this formula come in cardboard boxes that are recyclable or easily break down.
I encourage you to do your own research regarding this recipe, because one shouldn’t just assume that natural is always better. I’ve done my own research on homemade laundry detergents and this is the one that I decided on and have stuck with because it works for me.
A note on Borax, which is an ingredient I use: some sites warn against using it. However, many of them are referring to the use of boric acid, which is not what you’re using. And the primary warning when you search on Google says:
“According to 20 Mule Team Borax’s Material Safety Data Sheet, borax is a potential health hazard and should not be ingested: Sodium borate and boric acid interfere with sperm production, damage the testes and interfere with male fertility when given to animals by mouth at high doses.”
Again, it’s not boric acid and normally you don’t eat laundry detergent, especially in high doses, nor are you a lab rat, so I think we’re set. Here is an article breaking it down so you can explore this info on your own.
Borax is mineral based, meaning that it is mined and has some impact on the environment. Apparently, 20 Mule Team Borax is “extracted in California at a mine that has been lauded for it’s environmental standards. It is considered to be one of the cleanest running mines in the world.”
I’ll be searching for an even better laundry recipe, but this does the work for now. Baking soda I believe can be used as a replacement for Borax, but I’m not certain if it’s the same quantity ratio. Here are some other homemade recipes if you want to explore.
FINALLY:
Ingredients:
– Box of washing soda
– Box of Borax (both of these can usually be found in the laundry detergent aisle)
– Bar of castile soap (Dr. Bronner’s peppermint, lavender, whatever scent you like)
– optionally, tea tree oil, lemon essential oil
– cheese grater
To make this, you need 2 parts each of washing soda and Borax, 1 part of shaved soap (i.e. 2 cups and 1 cup, but this can be scaled up for however much you want to make). I don’t recommend adding more soap for extra scent or washing power—I tried that and there was too much for the water to dissolve so my clothes had sticky, non-dissolved soap pieces left on it at the end of the wash 😦
I shave the soap using an old cheese grater, usually just shaving off however much I need for that batch. One bar of soap can make you 2-3 batches of the recommended amount above.
So you measure out your 3 ingredients into an air tight container and shake. I like adding ~10-20 drops of essential oils into the mix for scent and because of their antibacterial properties (tea tree and lemon are great for cleaning). Eden’s Garden is a great place for cheap oils that don’t sacrifice quality (the make your own 6 pack is a real steal, or the top 6 set because there are TONS of uses for these, which I’ll cover in another post eventually).
Then, you just measure out ½ to ¾ cup of detergent for each load. If you’re like me and wait 2 weeks so you can fill up the whole washer, sometimes I use a whole cup, especially for big stuff like sheets and blankets. If your load of laundry isn’t huge, maybe closer to half. Experiment and see what works for you.
Lastly, you can get yourself some reusable lavender laundry bags (get ’em at Trader Joe’s) in place of dryer sheets—eliminate waste AND smell wonderful.
ECOrinne 