The CleanSuds Blog
Where education and truthful facts are easy to come by.
How Did I Get Here Part 5
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.
Why Fluff Love Might Be Steering You Wrong
• The company does not superfat their liquid soap to avoid skin irritation for those with skin issues.
• DIY laundry recipes can ruin your washer but using MamaSuds Castile Soap in them will ensure the safety of the machine and of the clothes being cleaned.
• Fluff Love often suggest Tide for cloth diaper washing routines due to the lack of understanding around the effects of soaps on fabric, however MamaSuds DOES work for cloth diapers.
The Top 5 Essential Oil Recipes for Fall
I really love fall. Sweaters, leaves changing, going to the cider mill, hot cider and doughnuts…. YUM. It’s also when my diffuser gets put on overdrive, it’s literally on 24/7. Here are my top 5 essential oil recipes for Fall:
Autumn Morning
5 drops of orange
5 drops of cinnamon
Cider Mill
2 drops of cinnamon
2 drops of clove bud
2 drops of orange
2 drops of ginger
Cozy Fire
4 drops cedarwood
1 drop vetiver
Hiking in the Woods
2 drops of cedar wood
2 drops of fir needle or pine
1 drop frankincense or tea tree
Sunday Dinner
2 drop of orange
2 drops of lemon
2 drops of cinnamon
1 drops of clove bud
1 drops of fir needle or pine
Switch to a Cold Air Diffuser
I used to burn lots of candles this time of year, then I switched to warming them until I got smart and switched to a diffuser. Burning candles seems innocent enough but they are a huge source of indoor pollution. Candles burn off chemicals that are bad for your health. Most candles are made of pariffin (a petroleum waste product) that has been bleached and deodorized so it can be made into wax. Candles are made with synthetic oils that are most likely made with phthalates. Candle warmers and steam diffusers heat the oil, which depletes the oil of it’s therapeutic benefits so I prefer using a cold-air diffuser. If you must burn a candle, a great alternative is a pure beeswax candle. When burned, they emit negative ions (like Himalayan Salt lamps!) that clean the air.
Un-Paper Towels: Are they Worth it?
Unpaper Towels: worth the investment?
Almost three years ago, I took the plunge and stopped buying paper towel. It was a big decision that I didn't have a lot of support for, but I promised a trial period. In that trial period my husband was diagnosed with a very large menengioma brain tumor. After this diagnoses he was very supportive because he really wanted to rid our home and lives of unnecessary exposure to harmful ingredients.
One of his best buddies worked in the paper industry and put it into perspective for us: "Wood does not soak up water. What kind of chemicals and additives do you think they put on wood pulp to make paper soak water like paper towel does?" Hmmmmm.... The less chemicals we were exposing ourselves to the better. This is a great article that Growing a Green Family wrote about paper towels.
After our trial period, we both were in agreement, we could definitely live without it. Are there times we wished we had something disposable? Yes, like when a bottle of wine dropped out of the fridge.... Or I dropped a jar of salsa.... Yes I wish we had a roll. But in all honesty, it hasn't been as hard as we thought.
Where can you get "unpaper" towels? Etsy is a great place, I love supporting small handmakers. Local is even better! You can get them with snaps and put them on your existing paper towel roll dispenser. I did that for awhile and then I just stopped and now they get put in with the other towels. I am actually looking to replace the ones I bought three years ago, so I definitely think it's a great investment.
What do you think? Is it something you could try?
How to Wash Cloth Diapers
• It is a natural, oil-based detergent that is effective in removing poo from diapers without causing burns or irritation.
• Effective washing routine includes an initial cold rinse, followed by a hot wash with 4 oz of MamaSuds soap, then a cold rinse and extra cold rinse.
• Drying can be done in the dryer with wool dryer balls or in the sun during warmer months.
• Reviews of MamaSuds available on Change-Diapers.com, Eco-Friendly USA, Every Child is Blessing, Housewife Mama, Fort Worth Examiner MamaSuds and Customer Reviews Kid Tested... Mommy reviewed.
How Did I Get Here Part 4
How did I get here?
In my previous post in this series I talked about how I tossed all the soap in our house and switched to Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap. I was buying it by the gallon and wondered, "Can’t I just make this stuff myself?"Where does my story lead to next?
See Part 1 here. See Part 2 here. See Part 3 HERE.
So here is Part 4 in my series. So my research into soap making began. I watched YouTube videos, read blogs, read books, and finally I felt ready to try it. I had a crockpot, I had safety equipment (goggles, gloves), I had a recipe I wanted to try, but I needed to find KOH (Potassium Hydroxide). I went to the local hardware store- who sent me to Michael's- who sent me to Hobby Lobby- who suggested my local hardware store. Alrighty then. I headed back to the good old internet and found a few companies that sold it. It's not easy to get I found because people also use it to make drugs. Great. Just what I need, to be on some watch list. I finally bit the bullet and bought it. I made my first batch while watching a YouTube video on repeat. It took forever, but when I was all done I had my very own batch of liquid soap. I was HOOKED. I made a five gallon bucket that seemed to last forever. It was awesome.
It was around this time that I started having issues with cloth diapering. I loved cloth diapering. It was so much cheaper, safer and environmentally responsible. I felt really good about being able to provide that for my daughter. But they started to smell funny when she urinated.
Then, she started to get a rash. Other cloth diapering mamas told me to switch detergent and strip my diapers. Yeah, that is not fun. I had to do this every month. I finally found a cloth diaper safe detergent that worked but it was expensive enough to make me not want to use it on all the laundry. I was so excited to not have to strip the diapers. It only lasted a few months before my poor baby had an awful rash/diaper burn that I just about threw the towel in on cloth diapering..... What do you think happened next?
Yup. In a last ditch effort, I decided to make my own. (to be continued)
Eco-Friendly Back-to-School Supplies List
• Eco-Friendly and US-Made Back-to-School Supplies List, perfect for budgeting early and saving the environment
• Hand Sanitizer: MamaSuds Hand Sanitizer or Poofy Organics Clean Clappers
• Disinfecting Wipes: CleanWell Disinfecting Wipes
• All Purpose Spray: Poofy Organics IAG VESTA Spirited Mint All-Purpose Cleaner or MamaSuds All Purpose Cleaner
• Crayons: Filana Crayons, Crayon Rocks or Crazy Crayons Eco Stars
• Glue: Eco Kids Glue or Coccoina Glue Stick
• Washable Markers: E-Color-gy Washables
• Scissors: Fiskars Kid Scissors (designed in USA, made in China)
• Pencils: Write Dudes USA Gold (wood from sustainable cedar wood trees!)
• Notebooks: EnviroNotes Sugar Cane Paper
• Snack Packs: ReUseIt Snack Pack Set
• Lunch Box: Bento Lunch Box
• Back Pack: Parrot Canvas Company or Timbuk
How Did I Get Here Part 3
How did I get here?
In my last post in this series I talked about how while I was pregnant with my second daughter I had a small bottle of commercial baby shampoo leak on brand new nursery room furniture.I wiped up the small drop that leaked from the bottle and the finish came off with it. This sparked a question in my head, "What am I putting on my baby's skin?" Little did I know how much this little question would change my life. So...Where does my story lead to next?
See Part 1 here. See Part 2 here.
So here is Part 3 in my series.
I instantly researched the crap out of soap. Soap is.... soap, right? Nope. I do most of my research late at night, long after the hubs is sleeping and I distinctly remember sitting in bed with my laptop on my pregnant belly and learning that the soap I have been using on my three year old, and soap we used on ourselves actually had a bunch of "chemicals" and toxins in it. What!?! Hubs was sleeping next to me and I had no one to look over at and spew this information at! A million questions led to hundreds more and I was soon lost in the abyss of the internet.
A life changing decision
That night (almost 6 years ago!) I made a decision that, in hindsight, changed my life. I decided we were getting rid of the baby shampoos and body wash and I bought Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap. I loved it. I only heard one comment from hubs, "this stuff feels different". That was it.
I bought a 16 ounce bottle. Then I bought the bigger size. Then I started reading about all the things you can use castile soap for. I switched out our hand soap, dish soap, made all purpose spray..... it had endless uses! I needed a gallon before long. Then I needed another gallon..... then I had another thought: Can't I just make this stuff myself? (to be continued)
How Did I Get Here Part 2
How Did I Get Here?
Have you ever thought, How did I get here? I get asked this question frequently from friends, family, and people who knew me before I arrived at this place in my life. I was visiting with someone I used to work with many moons ago- before we were both married with kids. I just visited her after she had twin girls and I was dropping off her order. She asked, “How did you ever get started in all this?” I told her the quick and dirty version of the story. But later that night, I started thinking about my story. And I wondered:Where does my story begin?
See Part 1 HERE. So here is Part 2 in my series. So after just one semester of trying my hand at fulfilling my lifelong dream of being a marine biologist, I came home with my tail tucked between my legs to figure out the rest of my life. It took me a year or so to figure out I wanted to teach. In the back of my head it was always the back up plan. After I was done swimming with the dolphins and wanted to settle down to have a family, my plan was to teach. So the long and the short of it- I started into my studies as a teacher. I save money and did my last six weeks of student teaching in New Zealand. It was a life changing experience. I got to do some pretty adventurous things (a helicopter ride, white water rafting, swimming with the dolphins, a cross country train trek, earned my motorbike license in the Cook Islands....) and met the most incredible person and teacher, Lisa. I think of her often and fondly. One day, I will visit her again. (It's in writing so it must be done!)
Soon after graduation I married my high school sweetheart and I found a teaching job not too far from where we lived. I loved the people I worked with. I worked with really great people. The kind of people you make life-long friendships with. A few years later we had our first baby. We did everything by the book. Baby shampoo, lotion, disposable diapers, etc. We did do some unconventional things- we took my daughter (and ourselves) to a chiropractor and we were introduced to essential oils when my daughter contracted hand-foot-mouth disease. My best friend's mom was our daycare provider and she used them in her home and raved about them. I was interested but skeptical. I became a believer when she sent me home with a miserable toddler and some oils. I couldn't believe how quickly she recovered. I was hooked!
While I was pregnant with my second child we bought new nursery furniture. I noticed a small sample bottle of name brand soap lying on its side on a dresser. I wiped up the small drop that leaked from the bottle and the finish came off with it. This sparked a question in my head, "What am I putting on my baby's skin?" Little did I know how much this little question would change my life. (to be continued)