Homemade Laundry Soap Powder

We all know that you can't have a blog in America today that is in anyway related to household matters and not include a recipe for Homemade Laundry Soap.

I'm guessing you are thinking one of three things...

1. Homemade laundry soap users are crazy. It's not worth the time/money/energy. Just buy it at the store.

2. Well OF COURSE I know how to make it... I wouldn't survive without it!

3. Oh yeah... I was going to try that once. I lost the recipe and haven't taken the time to look for it again.

This post is for you!

What you need:

Cheese grater (get a cheap one from the dollar store for just this purpose)
Large air tight container
Fels-Naptha bar soap (Found in the laundry section at your local store... try Kmart or Target if your grocery store doesn't have it.)
Washing soda
Borax

Nearly every recipe I've read has the amounts a little bit different for each ingredient. I made mine like this because If you don't like the amounts I have listed, mix in amounts that work better for you.

Grate one bar of Fels-Naptha laundry soap and mix it in the air-tight container with one 55oz box of Washing soda and half of a 72oz box Borax. (Save the other half for your next batch.)

Mix well and use a small scoop... a tablespoon or two for each load.

The lemony smell from the Fels-Naptha freshens any load of laundry... you will be amazed if you've never used it before.

 This is especially true if, like most busy people, you have a tendency to leave the laundry sitting for half a day before switching it to the dryer... it doesn't make the clothes mildew-proof... but you can rest assured that starting the washer before you head out to work with the intention of switching it after you get home will not leave you running the load a second time!

Have a blessed week!

The Joy of Giving with a Servant's Heart

 

One of the best gifts I ever remember receiving from a friend is a clean bathroom. Really.

I was taking care of our newborn, our two-year-old, and our six-year-old and my husband, who had left a few months before, was remaining steadfast in his resolve for a divorce. I was falling to pieces in more ways than anyone even knew.

My friend came to my house and spent over an hour cleaning my bathroom. It was a huge bathroom... and she covered every square inch. She scrubbed the toilet, the tub, the tile and even the carpet where the cat had gotten sick (probably weeks before) and I had halfheartedly cleaned it up.

The love I felt from her when she gave with a servant's heart was so uplifting. I still remember that as the best gift I've ever received and will tell people so when a related topic comes up from time to time.

Giving a gift to someone who has had a new baby or is recovering from surgery is an automatic thing for some people... "Let's send flowers." It doesn't mean they care any less, and the gift receiver loves it as well... but caving to the automatic response can take the joy away from the gift giver.

I want to challenge you to put the JOY back into your giving.

Know that when you are giving a gift, it is something that is truly given with the receiver in mind. If you can't afford a gift that needs to be bought, consider what you can do for that person.

Offer to rock the new baby while the new mom takes a nap.
Offer to take the older sibling(s) to the park for the afternoon.
Make dinner for a family who is experiencing an illness.
Clean their kitchen.
Fold the laundry.
Or, don't even go in their house... just mow the yard.


Obviously, as a small business owner, I would encourage everyone to give a gift certificate for cleaning, cooking and errands from Hire A Housewife    ;-)  But really, everyone has the ability to do something meaningful for their friends... bless someone by having the heart of a servant.


You could even clean their deep freeze.

What is the best gift you've ever received? Leave a comment and let us know!

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. Galations 5:13

Getting Rid of Lime Scale and Rust

Does this look familiar? 

There are three products that will take it off almost immediately... 

and they aren't the ones you are thinking about already! Better yet... they are under $3 each!

 Bar Keeper's Friend comes in a powder at most local stores. Get the surface wet, sprinkle this on and then use a wash cloth to wipe it off. It is that easy. There is a downside to this. Because it is a powder, it is really hard to spread on a vertical surface, like your shower door. Their website says that there is a liquid version... but I have yet to find it anywhere except online. 

This is "The Works" toilet bowl cleaner. This should only be used in a VERY well ventilated space or with a mask of some sort. Squirt this on the shower door and watch the lime scale run off. There is also an occasional "smoke" that rises from the product while it is working. I haven't figured out why it does this yet. This works great, but make sure that you wear gloves as it tends to irritate the skin, and don't inhale! It will leave you feeling breathless and coughing. 

This is my favorite of the three products. I call it "Lysol Black." It just sounds awesome, right?
This is the ONLY type of Lysol toilet bowl cleaner that will work. It has to be in the black bottle specially marked with "Lime & Rust Remover." This goes on more thickly than "The Works" and isn't as breathtaking if you accidentally forget to flip on the bathroom fan while you are using it. Still, don't use it without gloves. You will likely need to spread it on with a scrub brush or a wash cloth, but you will not have to do any actual scrubbing.



That's all it takes to clean your shower door and make it look almost like new!

It's Okay...

 It's Okay...

It's okay to mop the walls sometimes
It's alright to the vacuum the bed
But don't use anything for the toilet
That has other uses instead

It's okay to Windex the kitchen sink
It's alright to skip swiffering the floor
But it's always worth your time
To clean the glass front door

It's okay do what works sometimes
It's alright to get it done fast
Your babies need you with them today
And days like this won't last

Copyright 2013 Kindall Nelson

<vent>You know which wall I'm talking about... that wall behind the garbage can in your kitchen? I know you don't want to scrub yours any more than I want to scrub mine... WHY can't the kids get the trash IN THE CAN!?! </vent>

And this is what would necessitate vacuuming the bed....

I'm sure there is a post coming soon about the front door... a clean glass door is welcoming to friends and family and lets in sunlight. I'm stopping there or I'll write it now!

My point is this... do what you need to do to live comfortably and then spend the rest of your time loving your family. Helping others. Taking the kids (or grand kids) to the park. Praying. Doing things you love to do.

And when you realize that all of those things are more important to you than spending your time cleaning and organizing... call us! Let us do the not-so-fun stuff so that you can have fun!

 

She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. Proverbs 31:25