Homemade Laundry Detergent

Contributors: Cari and Donna
Did you know that you don't actually have to BUY laundry detergent? Yes, you can make it yourself. It is cheaper, it is more environmentally friendly, and you may find it empowering to reconnect with the generations that came before you that didn't mindlessly pick up that jug of Tide. Sometimes the "Loads of Hope" don't come from the dubious charity of a corporation; instead they come from one woman, who decides that she is quite capable (thank you very much) of making the cleanser she needs to keep her family sanitary and presentable, for a fraction of the cost.



Here are some recipes from one of our most creative and hard working contributors.......
There are quite a few ways to prepare homemade laundry detergent. Some like it wet, some like it dry, and front loaders work better with the wet. You can make it with ingredients geared toward sensitive skin, or you can use ingredients that are stronger for not so sensitive skin.

My favorite recipe is dry. I melt the detergent with hot water at the beginning of every load. All ingredients can be bought locally:

1 cup borax
1 cup baking soda
1 cup washing soda
1 cup oxygen cleaner*
1 cup water softener or salt
1 cup grated soap-Kiss My Face makes a saponified olive oil soap that is great for sensitive skins, or the old stand-by Fels- Naphtha are my favorites. Lacking those 2, plain old Ivory would probably work just fine.

I use a very fine grater to grate the bar soap. Also, by making several batches at a time I save myself some time, I only have to make it every 2 or 3 months. The detergent is stored in an old coffee canister; and I use the scoop from the oxygen cleaner-1 scoop for regular laundry 2 scoops for very dirty laundry.
*Omit the oxygen cleaner if you are going to convert the dry soap into a wet soap, it can cause a chemical reaction and the result will be ruined. I purchase my oxygen cleaner at the dollar store. It works as well as the expensive stuff, but is several dollars cheaper.

February BLAH's

Contributed by: Michelle
February always seems to bring the winter blahs and a case of cabin fever, but it doesn't have to. You may start to feel sad or moody. You may lack energy. You may crave sweets. Here are some suggestions for avoiding the winter blahs.

Get some fresh air: Go outside and take a walk for 10 minutes. Most of us remember being sent outside as kids even if it was just for a brief period.

Exercise: Whether outside walking or doing something at home. There are plenty of options out there for DVDs and computer programs to help you exercise in the comfort of your own home. One of our contributors has a mini-trampoline that she keeps in her living room when it is too rainy/snowy/cold to do anything outside. She says that 5 – 10 minutes on it really helps.

Drink some juice: When you crave something sweet in the winter, try drinking some juice. It will satisfy your cravings for something sweet, but not have those empty calories.

Try a body detox: Especially if you over indulged over the holidays, a detox may be in order.

Vitamin D: Make sure you are getting enough Vitamin D. A lot of fish are naturally high in vitamin D.

Watch your eating: We need to make sure that we’re not overeating, or eating too much junk. Packing on the pounds and not giving your body proper nutrition will not make you feel good. Conversely, stay away from crash dieting. Denying yourself overly much will not make you feel good, in fact, that kind of self-denial tends to make a person feel worse.

Time to start thinking about SPROUTING!

Contributed by: Rachel

Sprouting is so simple and easy! Add to that, sprouts are cheap, tasty, healthy, and they bring the garden indoors during those months that it is difficult, if not impossible, to grow anything outdoors.

Sprouting seed stores well under the right conditions, and offer an almost instant source of food that requires little water and hardly any space to grow. They are organic (or you should make sure that they are!) and environmentally friendly! They offer high amounts of enzymes, anti-oxidants, minerals, vitamins and that our bodies need, and probably a lot of us don’t get. Proper enzyme balance aids in digestion, and actually encourages the absorption of protein and other vitamins and minerals in our bodies. Sprouts are a living and raw food, and as they are consumed almost immediately after harvesting, we obtain the maximum benefits vitamin and mineral wise.

Before you begin…

You NEED to know 2 things. First and foremost, NEVER EVER sprout seeds to eat that are supposed to be for sprouting a plant that you will harvest the fruit from. The seed for growing plants are covered with an anti-sprouting retardant and an anti-vermin that are POISONOUS to us when in the sprouted form. They are apparently safe after they have grown to plant size, but even that I am not convinced…

Instead, you need to obtain “seed for sprouting”. In most cases, you will recognize it further because it will come in size options larger than the small paper envelopes of seed for planting that we are used to seeing for our gardens.

The second thing you need to know, you NEED to get your seed from reputable suppliers. Sprouting seed should preferably be OCIA and NGMO, but definitely OCIA. Here a few trustworthy suppliers:

www.sprouting.com
www.sproutpeople.com
www.primalseeds.org/sprouting.htm
www.westcoastseeds.com/topicdetail/topic/16/
www.sprouthouse.com/Organic_Sprouting_Seeds_s/1.htm

*Lots of natural food stores stock some seed for sprouting

Now, you need to decide what type of sprouter you would like to use. Until you decide how much you like sprouting, I would recommend a glass jar. A typical wide mouth glass canning jar works great. To close the end of the jar, either use a double layer of cheese cloth fastened with a rubber band, or buy a few different gauges of non-metal screening that you will cut to the size of a lid to fit under the ring of your canning jar. As you get more into sprouting, you will discover other sprouting accessories.

When deciding what kind of seed you would like to sprout, keep in mind that some seeds are harder to grow than others. Typically the longer to sprout are the more difficult ones, but none of them are REALLY hard to grow. The flavors always resemble the vegetable, but more concentrated, so keep that in mind if you have strong food preferences.

I haven’t ever grown a sprout that I don’t like, and once I got more experienced, I even started mixing my seed so I got unique blends. I use my sprouts in EVERYTHING! Soups, stews, sandwiches, salads, on their own, in breads, cookies, smoothies, cakes, quick breads, muffins…the possibilities for use are endless. You can also dry your sprouts if you need to be sneaky with the delivery, this way is nearly invisible. I personally think it is better to just offer sprouts as part of the meal and leave it at that.

Once you have ordered your seed and decided on your sprouter, measure out some seed in the jar (one tablespoon of small seed for a pint sized jar should be sufficient, up to 3 tablespoons for larger seeds/legumes). Rinse, and cover with warm water (not hot, you will kill the seed) and let soak over night. In the morning, rinse and swish with cool water and set to drain. To keep the water off the seed, tilt a jar on an angle upside down on a drain board or plate. Do this a few times a day. Also, try to shake the seed around the sides of the jar so they aren’t squished all together in the same spot. Don’t put the jars in the sun; a shadowed place on the counter is fine for most sprouts. Legumes, especially mung beans should be sprouted in the dark, either in the cupboard, or under a towel if the weather isn’t too hot.

In a few days, you should start to see growth, and maybe some leaves! There is no wrong time to eat your sprouts. I prefer them younger, but some prefer to let them grow longer. I linked to a few charts below that give average sprout and harvest times. Taste them as you are growing and see how you like them best. Typically hot sprouts, like radish, onion, mustard, etc, gain intensity as they get bigger, so that might determine when you would want to harvest.

On the day that you decide you like your sprouts and you want to harvest, give a good rinse and set the jar in the sunlight for a few hours to let the chlorophyll develop. You don’t HAVE to, but I like mine green. Up until now your sprouts will be pale green to whitish or yellow even. Don’t leave them in a hot window, they will sweat and cook, indirect sunlight is sufficient. Then, when the sprouts are green, to harvest, simply turn your sprouts into a bowl full of cool water. Give them a swish, and let drain well. The hulls will float to the top of the bowl (or sink to the bottom), and they can be removed if you have esthetic issues with them, but they are fully edible, and good for you so it isn’t necessary to remove them (I don’t bother). Once they are done draining, spread them out on a towel until they are mostly dry, but don’t let them get wilty. They will keep for a few days in the fridge if you drain them well and put them in an airtight container. I use glass, but you could use a plastic container too. I usually leave a small piece of raw muslin in the bottom of the container to collect any moisture.


Here are a few links to charts with approximate days to sprout:

www.simplyprepared.com/sprouting_chart.htm
www.living-foods.com/articles/easysprout.htmlwww.raw-food-living.com/soaking-nuts.html

Have fun and enjoy!

Killing Head Lice Cheaply & Safely

(Contributed by: Suzan, Majenica, Rachel)
Everyone is back to school so it's just a matter of time before lice join in at circle time. This article is on how to get rid of the critters without resorting to expensive treatments.......that the lice are becoming resistant to anyway.

A less expensive treatment than the store bought kits, but effective treatment it to apply Cetaphil skin cleanser into dry hair, comb through, blow dry, and shampoo in the morning. Then repeat weekly for 3 weeks. Evidently 96% of the lice were dead. Cetaphil is pretty mild too, even for individuals who are allergic to many chemicals. RiteAid makes a generic version. It costs a little over $3.

Lice combing (tedious, and it takes a lot of time, but it works) is an ancient and time-tested method.

One of our contributors who lives in Australia has worked in public health and has seen how bad infestations can be in a subtropical climate. She recommends a metal comb. The "condition and comb" method is also referred to as the "wet method". She assures us that this method works because the conditioner blocks their breathing pores and immobilizes them until they get it out and can breathe again. You condition and comb on dry hair. This uses a lot of conditioner. You comb them out and drop them in vinegar. Comb with the metal comb, dip in a glass of vinegar, comb, dip, comb, dip, it can take over an hour but it works. It is suggested that you wipe the comb with a tissue and then deposit them in a bag. Sea it, and throw away after you are finished. It is slow and doesn't kill the eggs, so it MUST be repeated. There was some research that suggested the eggs are laid just below the skin and that is one reason why they appear after you could swear you‘ve removed every last one.

The advantages are that you use the cheapest of white conditioners, the conditioner helps with combing, long hair gets a good "treatment", the critters don't become resistant to more chemicals and it isn't toxic. The comb will soon look horrid but the vinegar does kill them and rinses the old, lice-filled conditioner off the comb.

There is a company called ACU-Life that makes a metal lice comb for about 6 dollars. This organization has info about head lice and sells a lice comb for $10.
http://headlice.org/

Some people use tea tree oil. Cover scalp only in tea tree oil, let sit 10-20 min. covered if possible. Disposable hotel shower caps work great. Then shampoo and rinse well. Evidently it takes only 1 treatment and it works. Add 10-15 drops in your regular shampoo as a preventative as well. Many claim this is very effective.

Another contributor said that if tea tree oil is too harsh for your child's scalp - that she uses lavender oil - just add a dozen or so drops to the shampoo bottle (for boys as they don't want to smell like a girl), and dab around the hairline for girls, or add to their detangler.

As far as some schools "requiring" that kids not return to school until they have been treated with an "approved" OTC chemical treatment? This contributor says that the OTC chemical treatments for treating lice all say not to use on broken skin, that it may cause serious injury and even death - so pretty much anyone can claim eczema as the reason not to chemically treat.

The fact is, you have to remember, even children from scrupulously clean homes can get them. In fact, lice can glue their eggs much more effectively to extremely clean hair. Greasy, nasty hair is not a louse mommy's best friend. So keep in mind that lice happens, and it's no reflection on a person’s parenting skills or your cleanliness.

Reducing Utility Costs

(By Various Contributors)

Water Heater Blankets
A water heater blanket is made of insulation contained within plastic so that it can be attached to the water heater. Blankets are rated based upon their 'R' value, just like other insulation.

The blankets require scissors or a box-cutter and some tape (often included) to install

Some tanks recommend that you don't use a blanket, if you still have the manual or contact the company. If the tank is in a VERY warm area of the house, such as near a furnace, then there is probably no need for one. However, if it's in a cold room, just put your hand on the outside of the heater. If it's warm, a blanket will save you some money.

How to Insulate Your Windows with Bubble Wrap
You need: spray bottle, x-acto knife and bubble wrap. Mist the water onto the window sill. Push the bubble side of the wrap against the sill. The water will hold the bubble wrap to the window all winter without tape or glue. Use the x-acto knife to cut away any excess. The bubble wrap will not stain your windows.

A single pane window has an R value of less than one. (.8) By placing bubble wrap in the window, its R value will be around two. Keep it Solar has a detailed article on how much money bubble wrap will save you.


From Keep it Solar:
For a 7000 deg-day climate (northern US), and single glazed windows, the bubble wrap increases the R value from about R1 to about R2. This cuts the heat loss from the window in half.
Heat losses with and without bubble wrap for 1 sq-ft of window are:
**Heat loss w/o wrap = (7000 deg-day)(1 ft^2) (24 hr/day) / (1 ft^2-F/BTU) = 168K BTU per season
**Heat loss with wrap = (7000 deg-day)(1 ft^2) (24 hr/day) / (2 ft^2-F/BTU) = 88K BTU per season

You can buy your own bubble wrap. It's inexpensive, but you'll save money if you salvage it. Furniture stores will have extra bubble wrap. Any large department stores will probably have it too. Call around. Bubble wrap insulation can last up to seven years.

Weather-strip doors and window casings
Black foam strip is the type we use. We hang heavy insulated curtains over the picture windows to save on AC in the summer. It will save you money in the winter too. They aren't going to win us any style awards, but they look acceptable and they were pretty cheap at Sears.

Other ideas for reducing heating bills
**Set your overhead fan blades to the other direction (if you can) to push that heated air that you've already paid for back down into the room.

**We use space heaters and heating fans (use caution with young children, and don't leave them unattended even if you don't have kids) if you are all in the same room and you can close off that room.

**After you bake or roast something and you've turned the oven off, leave the door cracked open (unless you have young children). Why waste the heat? Let it warm up the room. Cooking up a big pot of soup warms up both you - when you eat it, and the kitchen - when you cook it.

**Go outside; play with the kids or exercise. When you come back in, it'll seem warm in comparison. Or go to bed early to snuggle with your loved one.

**Don't be afraid to post a sign above the thermostat that states "We have rent to pay and food to buy-sweaters are in the hall closet, thank you."

**Limit the time of hot showers and be frank with older children about the cost of hot water. With younger children, there is always the option of bathing them together, especially if they are the same gender, VERY young, or if you don't mind unexpected questions about bodily differences between boys and girls.