How did I get here?

In my previous post in this series I talked about how my husband started telling me I should sell the liquid soap and the laundry soap I was making from it to people outside of our family and friends. I had lots of doubt and thought he was crazy for thinking people would want to buy soap from ME.

Where does my story lead to next?

See Part 1 here.    See Part 2 here.     See Part 3 here.    See Part 4 here.   See Part 5 here.

So here is Part 6 in my series. My lovely techie husband set up a website for me. We did a few Mom 2 Mom sales. They were not successful.  I was not a very good salesperson. It was no loss for me, I knew it wouldn't work. Plus, I was teaching and was expecting our third baby so I didn't think I could have the time either.

Then on December 28, 2011 a lady named Dorothy from Colorado ordered a gallon of my laundry soap. I'll never forget that feeling. I actually cried in disbelief. Someone in COLORADO bought my soap? Get out! Later I received an email from her telling me that my soap was "such a blessing" to her 80 year old skin. She even called to tell me in case she didn't send her email correctly. She thought it was hysterical that my first order came from an old lady who could barely use the internet. From then on she called me to place her orders and we would chat. I loved it. It was because of Dorothy in Colorado that I forged ahead and went to the county and registered our business so that we were official on January 3, 2012.

The last time I talked with Dorothy was over two years ago. Her last order came from her daughter and she let me know Dorothy was ill. I frequently think about her and wonder how she is....

Dear Dorothy,

Thanks for being my first customer. I'll never forget you.

Love,  Michelle 

Update: I did find out Dorothy passed away in January 2016.  

How did I get here?

In my previous post in this series I talked about how I almost threw in the towel with cloth diapering because I was tired of stripping the diapers and my daughter getting diaper rashes and burns. I had a hunch that if I could make my own liquid soap, surely I could use that to make a laundry detergent.

Where does my story lead to next?

See Part 1 here.    See Part 2 here.   See Part 3 here.    See Part 4 here.

So here is Part 5 in my series.

Right away I learned the difference between soap (made from lye and oil) and detergent (a mixture of surfactants {lower surface tension between dirt and water} and cleansers in water). Surfactants sounded harmless. But behind the definition was the fact that surfactants are derived from a variety of petrochemicals, AKA petroleum by-products (For Better Living). I am not about that.

I found a bunch of recipes online but they were all dry products mixed together. I really wanted a liquid version because I already had the liquid castile soap.  I first tried castile soap alone. I have very hard water and it didn't cut it. So I researched other sodium minerals that are safe and biodegradable. I ended up with a formula that worked awesome. I didn't want to hold my breath until a good month went by. In the mean time I used it on all our laundry. It worked great on our clothes, so hoped it would work on the diapers?

After a month, I started to get excited! Months went by and I had my aunts, Grandma and parents try it. They loved it. They couldn't believe how little you had to use! Then friends and extended family wanted to try it and so I would sell them my laundry soap. 

After about 6 months my husband started telling me I should sell it. I would roll my eyes at him and say, "Yeah right, who is going to want to buy laundry soap from ME?"  My daughter Molly helping me fill bottles of laundry soap.

(part 6 continued here)