Hello Twenty Twelve

Happy New Year to you all.

I hope you are relaxing and enjoying the holidays.

We certainly are.

Paul (DH) has been on call up until yesterday, so it's really his first day of the holidays today and he is back at work on Monday.

Have you made New Years Resolution?

This time last year I said I would stop biting my nails and look at cleaner greener cleaning products.

I managed to stop biting my in November and I have used lots of baking soda, borax and vinegar as cleaning products.

I found a Bin Inn recipe for my own washing and dishwasher powder and made it.

After some research online I discovered that the Bin Inn washing soda has 76% water content.

So I found a trader on Trade Me who sold the super strength washing soda and borax and have been buying it from since, he is a great trader and I recommend him, click HERE for his listings.

He also gave me a recipe for washing powder and I was using that until I came across Pinterest ( an online pin board) and found a couple of recipes for washing liquid.

The first I didn't like.

So on Boxing Day I needed to make more so I used the other recipe and I love it, it was easier to make about 45 minutes in total.

It makes 38 litres of laundry soap, I only had enough bottles to store it in concentrate, I will dilute it as I go.

I have converted it into litres, apart from that the recipe is the same as Janae's CLICK HERE to view the orginal recipe, Janae has lots of in depth photos and has compared it against another laundry soap and also has a leading washing machine manufacture letter.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to pick up:

• 1/2 cup (125g) Borax ($10.80 from Trade me for 2.25 kilos includes p & p)
• 1 cup (250g) Super Washing Soda ($10.80 from Trade me for 2.25 kilos includes p & p)
• 155g Sunlight Soap (121g per bar, grate into second bar), ($4 for box of 4 soaps at local supermarket in laundry aisle)
• 20 litre bucket with lid (around $25 at Mitre 10 Mega)
• Old milk bottles (or other containers, you will need about approx) that have been cleaned and rinsed (the concentrate will disperse more evenly if you go ahead and divide it up.
• OPTIONAL:  Essential Oil Drops for fragrance (we did not add this, so I am not sure how much it costs)

Grand Total:  $3.68 for 300 loads in a top-loading machine.  That’s just over 1 cents a load. 

And you have all the spare ingredients in your cupboard for next time, it will be the soap you have to buy more often.

1. Grate 155g of Sunlight soap.

2. Put into pot with 4 cups of hot water. Stir continuously over meduin-low heat until all of the soap flakes have dissolved and melted (about 10 minutes).

It should be slightly foamy with no chunks or flakes to be found.

3. Fill a 20 litre bucket with 9.5 litres of hot water.

4. Pour in soap mixture. Add 1 cup of super strength washing soda and 1/2 cup borax and stir.

I used a long stick, but a broom or mop handle would work also (something that can reach to the bottom of the 20 litre bucket).

5. Fill to the 19 litre mark on bucket (I poured water into the bucket first to 9.5 litre marked with Vivid (marker) then to 19 litres and marked again) with cold water. Stir again.

6. Cover and let it sit overnight.

7. When you open the lid up the next day, it will have jelled and thickened slightly. Stir again.

8. Use a funnel to fill a clean bottle and fill to Half way with soap mixture. Fill the other water and shake.

9. Once you’re ready to use the laundry soap, shake it in the container first.  Then add:
-1/2 cups for a regular top-loading machine
-1/4 cup for a front-loading (HE) machine

I found this on Pinterest, Pinterest is an online pin board if you would like an invite email me and I will get one to you.

Be Aware it is very addictive.

I will come back and share this years resolution with you.