Making Homemade Detergent

I came across this recipe for laundry detergent on the Modern Cottage blog and have been excited to try it, but I can't find one ingredient.  Does anyone know where I can find Fels Naptha soap? I've checked the Pig in Hartland and Pick and Save in Pewaukee, but no luck.  So, if you have an idea, please let me know!!  I'm almost out of laundry detergent and really want to try this!

My HE Washing Machine

A few years back our washing machine died and we were elated. This gave us the opportunity to replace another appliance with a more efficient model in order to continue to reduce our household energy consumption. With the laundry piling up there wasn't much time to do extensive research, but we have been more than happy with our Bosch Nexxt HE model. Here's why

1. Its quiet. We've since moved our laundry to the first floor from the basement and the sound is just a background hum in our daily life.

2. Less water use. HE washers use 18-25 gallons of water per wash compared to the 40 of standard washers. We noticed a reduction on our water bill when we got ours. 

3. Less energy to run them (the HE part). The Focus on Energy website says that you can save $110 on your annual energy bills compared to a model before 1994. They also state that the combined electric and water energy is 50% less. Our btu's did go down that year for us as well, although this wasn't the only change we made. 

4. Spins the clothes drier so that they need less time in the drier, saving more energy and money.

5. Apparently more gentle on clothes making them last longer. Not sure this can combat the normal usage of a 9 year-old boy. 

6. Because these are energy star rated, you get a cash back rebate from Focus on Energy.

The only downside that I've seen is that they cycles take longer than some models. I can't get all my laundry down in one day a week. I have switched to a little each day (part of my morning routine) and this works well for me. 

For more info on energy saving appliances, go to Focus on Energy at

http://www.focusonenergy.com/

How Low Can You Go?

 One of the first "green" changes I made came from a source that never even mentioned the environment. During graduate school a friend started loaning me her copies of The Tightwad Gazette newsletter published by Amy Dacyczn (book version available at the Hartland Public Library). This is an inspiring (if not sometimes wacky) collection of tips for living frugally and within your values. 

A simple tip she gave was to use less of everything-detergent, shampoo, cleaners, etc. The instructions for most products tell us that we need more than we actually do to get the job done. It is possible that the companies have a financial incentive for us to use more of their product. 

Here is how you do it:  First pour out the amount of detergent you usually use and make note of how much that is. Then, the next day, decrease by a little and see if the clothes still get clean. If so, then decrease a bit more the next time. Keep doing this until the clothes are not cleaned well and then back up to the previous amount. This gives you the minimal amount needed to do the job. It is actually amazing how much less you need of many things. Doing this made me wonder how I had settled on the started volume to begin with (not being a much of a direction-reader). I find that I need to do this again periodically as the amounts start creeping back up when I am not paying attention. 

Hardcore "greenies" will question whether this is really a green tip if you are still using toxic chemicals.  Yes, that would likely be better, but this is a good start for those who are really attached to their detergent and are unlikely to make the switch. If everyone did this for all their products, it would mean less chemicals produced and used, less plastic (containers) and less trips to the store to restock. How low can you go?????

Plastic Recycling

This morning, I came across this great article on Slate about recycling plastics.  It covers all the big questions: what numbers you can recycle, why you can't recycle yogurt cups, why PVC is so nasty, etc, etc. These are questions I am often asked, but this article sums up the answers much more eloquently than I have ever been able to.  

My Laundry Challenge

Courtney and I started this blog in part to continue to challenge ourselves. I was thinking that challenge meant taking steps to living more green, not exploring areas of my life where I am weak (such as lawn care and laundry)! Courtney may love laundry day, but in my family every day is laundry day and those plastic baskets are a permanent and unwelcome part of our home decor! I am hoping that this month's challenge, like the lawn topic,  will get me fired up about a topic that I normally try not to spend a lot of mental energy on. I plan on sharing some of the changes that I have made over the years to becoming a more green laundress, but I thought I'd start this month by laying out my personal challenge for how I can improve a bit more. 

1. hang out more laundry outside in the summer

2. rig up an indoor line in my new laundry room/closet

3. find the best eco-friendly laundry detergent/soap and where we can get it locally

4. do some research into Natural dry cleaning methods

5. find out what is really in my OxyClean and research eco-friendly stain removers

May Garden Center in Oconomowoc

I just learned that May Garden Center, Inc at 132 E. Wisconsin Ave in Oconomowoc carries Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss.   Kris and I spent weeks trying to find a good source for eco-friendly seed starting ingredients back in February and totally struck out (as Miracle-Gro seems to have a stranglehold on that market and I will never consider Miracle-Gro a green product). So, this news really excites me.  Peat moss is generally regarded as a really bad thing to buy because it destroys peat bogs, but supposedly any peat moss from Canada has been harvested in a sustainable way.  Rumor has it that May Garden Center also carries several other 'green' products.  Field trip anyone? 

May Challenge - Laundry Logic

Today is Monday, which means it is laundry day here at my house, which in turn means that I am all smiles because I love doing laundry. This may change in the future when we are no longer a two-person household and therefore have many more loads of laundry, but for now I love the whole process... the sorting, the measuring, the hanging clothes on the line, the folding and the putting away in neat little piles. Doing laundry brings a fresh new start to each week for me. So, May will be a fabulous month for me as we discuss all things laundry related and how we can green our laundry routines. We will discuss greener laundry detergents, 'homemade' detergents, the ills of the dryer and the saintliness of the clothesline. We will emerge from May cleaner, greener and smelling oh so pretty.

I am off to hang clothes out on the line and enjoy the beautiful day. In the next few days I will be revealing the details of our May contest, so stay tuned. Plus, we will let you in on what our personal laundry challenges will be for the month. Oh the excitement :)