Pink Zote Homemade Laundry Soap

I like saving money and I like living simply so when I noticed all these homemade laundry soap recipes pins going up with glowing reviews at Pinterest (which I also love) I was intrigued but I resisted because... I don't know.... I want my laundry to be clean but I really like my laundry to feel and smell clean too. Anyway I finally decided to give it a try. I am so glad I did I really love it! 

Now I have enough soap to do more than 400 loads of laundry. That's enough for more than a load a day for a whole year - for a few pennies per load or less than $25 for a year supply. I spent $23 using coupons and shopping around (my local Brookshire Bros grocery store was cheaper than Walmart).

There are lots of recipes for both liquid and dry soaps which are basically 20 Mule Team Borax, Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda and grated soap - either Fels-Naptha or Zote. There's even one using blue Dawn liquid dish soap in the liquid recipes.

I chose this dry recipe since my right wrist is wimpy and the heavy liquid soaps are hard to lift and pour. I bought pink Zote for the soap because that's what my local store happened to have.

• 1 (4 lb 12 oz) Box of Borax
• 1 (3 lb 7 oz) Box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
• 1 (3 lb) Container of OxyClean (smaller 1.3 lb size in photo)
• 2 (14.1 oz) Bars of Zote Soap (you can also use Fels Naptha)
• 2 (2 lb) Boxes of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda (missing from photo sorry)

I had heard Zote soap expands in the microwave and crumbles like powder after it's cooled so instead of grating it I tried that (again the wrist thing). Actually it was pretty fun to watch because it puffs up like cotton candy. Below is what was left 'unpuffed' in a batch I just cooked. I microwaved it again just to show it puff up.

It crumbled down to a light pink powder with a spoon, but I got impatient microwaving it in small amounts like the instructions said (I tried to do a half a bar at a time but the bottom burned and really stunk up the house before it all the soap expanded). Sooo I skipped the microwave altogether dropping the raw chunks into my little food processor and surprisingly it worked pretty well. A little grainy-er but good enough I think.

I only use 1 tbsp per load, 2 for Derick's work clothes, I KNOW what you're thinking, I added that little scoop of soap to my first wash load and it took EVERYTHING I HAD NOT to add just one more tbsp! It doesn't make much suds and I know it's hard to accept but it's true - bubbles don't clean your clothes, the agitator does! Apparently it's all about getting the ph of your water just right to release the dirt. (I also add white vinegar to the rinse cycle and am using fabric sheets in the dryer until I run out) There's plenty of specific information about it on the internet. 

DIY Painted Plywood Floor

We decided to use a dry-brush technique to paint the plywood floor for the time being. I leveled it the best I could and sanded it but seriously didn't worry about it too much. The whole point is we want it to look 'chippy' and old like it has always there. We used the same flat Antique White we used inside and under the cabinets, because it was there. I thinned it down with a little water and used a wash cloth to dab the excess water from the paintbrush before I lightly dry-brushed onto the weathered plywood floor. The paint hit all the rough edges in the wood highlighting the grain and knot holes, but also all my patchwork and leveling compound. I worried over how it was going to come out but kept going. I figured if worse came to worse I could repaint the whole thing solid white. I distressed it even more with my little palm sander once the paint was dry. I was really surprised at how much I liked it once I stood back and looked at it as a whole. I think it looks perfect.

Rustic DIY Decorating Ideas For Small Loft Apt

At Pinterest I have a collection of decorating and DIY ideas for the loft we built over the barn.
I like things that are natural and rustic and have big texture. Considering the loft is literally the hay loft above our barn, I'd like it to reflect that in the decor. Barn-wood, vintage, re-purposed farm tools, natural elements and textures, wildlife prints, and re-purposed items, etc. It's small though so I need things that can serve multiple uses. I'm a DIY'er and I'm cheap too, so if I can make it instead of buy it, I will.
These are some of my favorites.........

Re-purposed Wooden Spool - Bookshelf / Coffee Table / Extra Seating with a cushion.

If you enjoyed these, you can see the rest of my Barn Loft Ideas here, or all my collections at Chelle's Pinterest Boards.

As I Ponder The Love I Saw In Daddy's Eyes

In Loving Memory Of My Dad

Harold Burch

 May 23, 1934 ~ May 5, 2012

My father took up painting in his 60's. These are just a few of the many paintings he did.