DIY Foaming Hand Soap

Couldn't be Easier- Foaming Hand Soap

2-4 teaspoons Liquid Castile Soap

Essential Oils (Optional)

Empty foaming hand soap dispenser (9-10 oz)

Water

Pour 2-4 teaspoons of your favorite liquid castile soap into the foaming hand soap dispenser you’ve just finished using.  I like to use Dr. Bonner’s Unscented Baby Mild liquid castile soap as it is the most versatile to have “on hand” in the house.

Add a few (about 6) drops of your favorite anti-bacterial essential oil(s).  Tea tree and Lavender oils tend to be my favorites to use, however consider a citrus like grapefruit or lemon in the kitchen!

Fill the rest of the bottle dispenser up with tap water, replace the dispenser’s top, and shake about.  Use as you did before!  It is best to experiment with how many teaspoons of castile soap you like.  My husband, for example, prefers 5 teaspoons!  Apparently he likes a good looong lasting lather.

Background:

I have youngsters.  They seem to LOVE using lots of soap when they wash their hands.  I LOVE that I spend so little effort and money keeping their hands clean!

Additional Notes:

The most difficult part of this recipe is the foaming hand soap dispenser.  If you don’t already have one, it is cheaper to purchase one that is already filled with hand soap and wait until you’ve used up what it came with than to find and purchase a fancy (empty) foaming dispenser.

In the photo above, you see I used a “Method” dispenser.  My kitchen and other baths sport a “J.R. Watkins” bottle that is 9 FL. OZ. and I still use 2 teaspoons of liquid castile soap.  Our “Jack and Jill” bathroom is a different story.  I purchased the largest dispensers I could find/tolerate for the kids’ sinks!  They have 18 FL. OZ, “Everyday Shea” bottles, and I double the liquid castile soap and essential oil amounts. 

I spent less than $5 on each hand soap dispenser- the oldest, over a year old, still looks and works like new!

I find that the dispensers by sinks that get less traffic (like the guest bath) do settle a bit.  So, whenever I notice it, I just shake the dispenser up a bit.  

Bath Time!

Homemade Bubble Bath Recipe

1/2 c. Liquid Castille soap (I use Dr. Bronner's Baby Mild)

1 T. Vegetable glycerin

2 t. White sugar

15 drops of essential oil (I use tee tree oil for it's antibacterial qualities)

Combine everything into a small bowl and stir well. Transfer to container with lid (I use an old rinsed out body wash bottle) and let sit for 24 hours before first use.

Viola, burbujas caseras!!  

Background

As I mentioned in my "Welcome" post, I began my adventures in homemade home and body cleaning products with the less scary and more immediately needed, bubble bath. After locating some ideas online and giving my recipe a whirl, I noticed that although there were a few less bubbles in the tub, the kids' (and my) skin felt softer than after previous baths. The kids noticed nothing, except Joaquin who had seen me making the bubble bath the previous day. He declared it the best bubble bath ever because I made it and he loves me :-) Needless to say, I felt GREAT about my bubble bath! So I now have no future plans of spending $10 on 12oz of Burts Bees bubble bath when my kids are just as happy with my homemade bath that costs pennies on the dollar.

Liquid Laundry Soap

Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent

1 c. Liquid Castille Soap (I use Dr. Bronner's Baby Mild)
2 c. Water
1/3 c. Salt (I use non iodized)
1c. Washing Soda (a cousin of baking soda that can be found in the grocery store laundry isle)

Warm the salt, soda, and water in a sauce pan and stir constantly until mostly disolved/incorporated. This step takes just a few minutes! If you over heat or stop stirring, the soda and salt will solidify, so watch out! Transfer to a one gallon container.  Add castille soap and fill rest of the container with water. Put the lid on, shake about, and you are ready to wash!  Total time to make my batch was about 15 minutes.



Background

Have you ever read the ingredient label on a conventional bottle of liquid laundry detergent?  Growing up, I remember helping to fold clean laundry and making sure that all my father's undershirts were inside out.  Dad has sensitive skin, and a full day of seams touching his skin results in red patches. Other than that, I never questioned how laundry got done or what was used to do it.  As I mention in my "Welcome!" post, I struggled with the issue of laundry detergent, and it was probably a catalyst for this blogging journey :-).

This week, my Grandmother and I have put my homemade laundry soap to the test washing everything from bed linens and towels, to food stained clothes, a throw pillow my daughter threw up on, and doggy bath towels.  CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN! We are using the same amount of soap (1/4c.) per load and cleaning just as well.  Happy Jazzy!  Even skeptical Grandma feels the clothes are just as clean despite her worries about not enough sud-action.

And get this... It cost me less than $8 to make 256 oz (2 gallons) of liquid laundry detergent! I had been spending about $25 on 200 oz bottles of Free and Clear at BJs!

Additional Notes:

1. A washed out milk jug works, but so does a rinsed out store bought liquid laundry soap jug.  The 100 oz jugs are close enough to being a gallon, and the lids work as great measured dispensers.  A gallon is technically 128 oz, so you're soap will be a tad more concentrated, but you won't need a 1/4 measuring cup laying about!

2. If your water is hard or you are worried about not using a fabric softener, use vinegar! 1-2 T. Per load for the HE machine fabric softner tray and up to a 1/4 cup for regular old fashioned machines in the rinse cycle is all you need.

3. My sister-in-law has sensitive skin and in mentioning she would soon try this recipe, I thought to warn her about the washing soda, and realized I should warn everyone else too!  It says so right on the box, but just in case...  WEAR RUBBER GLOVES when handling washing soda directly!  Washing soda, a cousin of baking soda, will dry out your skin if you let your skin absorb it directly.  Baking soda does the same, but washing soda is a bit stronger.  I did not wear gloves when making my first batch, and my hands were dry and tight and itchy well into the next day.  So, to avoid that uncomfy tight dry feeling, I now wear my rubber dish-washing gloves when I handle washing soda.  I also keep my box of washing soda safely out of the reach of our labrador Gaucho and the kiddos :-)  Remember, this laundry soap rinses completely clean leaving no residue behind, including scent.  So clothes couldn't be milder against skin after washing :-)

4. Informational Links on why homemade laundry soap is so great for our bodies, our Earth, and our machines (including HE ones):
http://laundry.about.com/od/HomemadeLaundryProducts/f/Can-Homemade-Detergent-Be-Used-In-He-Washers.htm

http://www.laundry-alternative.com/detergentsinfo.htm

http://depts.washington.edu/exposure/latest_press_release.html