A Well-Timed Experiment

I am beginning to regret the day that I purchased the first throw pillow for our home.  And the day I purchased the second throw pillow.  And each subsequent day that involved the purchase of any pillow type (throw or sleeping) or small blanket or hand towel or fabric-covered object.  Looking back, my current self should have told my former self to save my money for the future purchase of handkerchiefs and Kleenex, because an apparent lack of facial wipes is resulting in the use by my children of any other available soft surface in the house for the relief of dripping noses.

Yep, we have caught "the cold" of the season and it is a whopper.  The kids are expelling fluid at an alarming rate (sorry if that is TMI) and while I am not one to run around with a bucket of bleach solution in one hand and a can of Lysol in the other in order to decontaminate every surface, I have been trying to keep the snot-load to a minimum by washing a lot of laundry - mostly the throw pillows.

It is an ill wind, however, that blows no good and this germ-laden one is no exception.  All this laundry has given me a good opportunity to try out my new DIY laundry soap.  This is my second experiment in this department and I have high hopes for this recipe.  The method I tried in the past was cheap and easy to make, but the clothes always seemed grubby and I just didn't end up liking it.  I went back to store-bought detergent with very little regret.  Unfortunately for lazy, money-spending me, my skin seems to have developed a distaste for certain ingredients in soaps and shampoos, and while I work out which specific ingredients are causing the trouble I am avoiding as many potential triggers as possible.  But, I still need to wash clothes so I thought I'd give homemade laundry soap another try.  This is a different formula from my first attempt and is also a powder instead of a liquid, so we shall see if it is more successful or not.  I found the recipe here:

16 cups baking soda

12 cups washing soda

8 cups of grated castile soap (four bars)

10-12 drops lavender essential oil (optional)

I divided this recipe by 8 for my first batch and also skipped the essential oil.  Grating half a bar of soap didn't take long, and neither did measuring out the sodas, so the whole process took about fifteen minutes.  I have been using two tablespoons per load, and so far I haven't noticed any problems.  Will the whites stay white and the colors bright?  Only time will tell, but for the moment not a booger is to be seen on any throw pillows and that is a good thing.

Happy laundry day, everyone!

PS - Never fear!  All the freshly cleaned throw pillows are staying safely tucked away in the laundry room until this cold has run its course.  

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