30 Days of Creativity - Day 2: Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

I love to make and use my own cleaning products.  It all started when the harsh scents from the chemical cleansers had been doing a number on me: they were making it difficult for me to breathe and giving me headaches and making me dizzy when I cleaned.  It was only an after thought that not only are my homemade cleansers better for me, but they are also better for the environment and my bank account.  Even though an after thought, that made me love using them even more!

We had a huge supple of dishwasher detergent from Costco and I didn't want to waste it, so we're still using it.  Unfortunately, however, our dishes (mainly glasses) are coming out with a cloudy residue on them lately.  I washed them all by hand and it came off which makes me think that it's the detergent.  I don't know why all of a sudden it's happening but it encouraged me to look into making a homemade dishwasher detergent.  I found a very similar recipe used on a few different websites, so I thought I would give it a try.  I've always been partial to liquid detergent but I read in a few places that powdered detergent is better (although, I'm not really sure why).

Ingredients:
1 Cup Borax
1 Cup Baking Soda
1/4 Cup Salt
1/4 Cup Citric Acid
30 Drops Lemon Essential Oil

Yes, I like to buy ingredients that I know I'll use constantly in bulk.  Like baking soda.  It and vinegar are pretty much the only things I need to clean.

Borax is a water conditioner, so in theory, it should help with our hard water.  I think (and I can be wrong here) the citric acid is to help break down grease.  The salt and baking soda seem like they will be the scrubbing agents.  Lemon essential oil smells pretty, but it is also antiseptic.

Mix everything together and store in an airtight container.  The mixture may clump (it's only natural for that to happen with baking soda), so just shake up your jar before each use.  All you need is 1 tablespoon per load of dishes.  Also, use white vinegar in your rinse cycle.  The stuff is amazing.


I saw another recipe that looked interesting that uses a tablespoon each of Borax and Washing Soda plus 2 teaspoons of sea salt to run a load.

I had a couple people ask me after yesterday's Sugar Scrub post where I get my jars and since I used a similar one today, I thought I'd include that info.  Many of the jars I use around the house are from thrift stores.  I scrub the hell out of them and/or sterilize them, depending on the use.  I also use Mason Jars all the time.  I usually find them at Ace or other smaller hardware stores for less than you can get at grocery or craft stores.  Specialty Bottle carries a nice selection of bottles and jars at good prices if you're going to buy in bulk.

Do you use a homemade dishwasher detergent?  How's it working for you?  Is it a similar recipe?


UPDATE 6/4/11: I used this recipe for the first time last night & it worked really well!!

Currently Reading: My Life in France by Julia Child

I love to read, but lately it usually winds up only being for a little while before going to bed at night.  I tend to read historical or fantastical fiction with strong women characters.  I loved The Memoirs of Cleopatra by Margaret George, The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley, and The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon among many, many others.  Recently, however, I found myself drawn to memoirs.  I read and loved Julie & Julia by Julie Powell and also rather enjoyed Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.  And yes, I read them both before seeing the movie versions (loved the movie version of Julie & Julia, btw).  After hearing this, a friend loaned me her copy of Julia Child's My Life in France.

I am about halfway through and just cannot get into it.  The two other memoirs that I read recently, read very much like a story. They were engaging and very easy to get drawn in.  My Life in France seems more like little snippets or memories.  I really cannot account to you what I've read so far because, I'm guessing, there doesn't seem to be a through line.  Nothing connecting the events together.  I'm also having a problem with the fact that I don't understand French nor am I intimately familiar with the streets of Paris.  She uses the French names for the dishes that she's cooking or eating, so even though it makes sense for her to do that, I have no way of salivating after it.  She also uses a French turn of phrase on occasion to make a little funny.  Needless to say, I don't get the joke.  I appreciate the love she bears to the city, but in referencing the streets as much as she does makes it feel like she should really be talking to someone at least a little familiar with the area whereas I'm just lost.

I do think it's interesting that a woman that didn't know how to boil an egg (that may be a bit of an exaggeration) found her calling in the culinary arts.  She found her passion and completely immersed herself in it.  I am inspired by her absolute drive and determination: it took years for Mastering the Art of French Cooking to be published.  And then she broke through even more barriers to have her own cooking show on TV.  Would we have the kitchen shows of today if Julia didn't start it all??

I will probably finish the book just so I can read the rest of her tale in her own words.  After all, she too is a Woman Warrior in her own right for her achievements.  

I actually have a hard time putting a book down even if I don't like it.  I guess I kind of always hope it will get better.  Or maybe it's the part of me that likes to finish things.  What about you?  Do you commit to finishing books that you're not into or do you just feel like it's a waste of time & put it to the side?  What are you reading right now?

30 Days of Creativity - Day 1: Sugar Scrub Recipe

I'm very excited to be taking part in the 30 Days of Creativity challenge and had a bunch of ideas of what I could to do for my first day.  But then, one of my 3 Day Tweeps (3 Day walkers on Twitter) asked me for an exfoliating sugar scrub recipe.  Decision made!  This is for you @fatgirlwalkin!

Making a sugar scrub is a super fun, easy project to pamper yourself.  I think between gathering ingredients, making it, taking pictures, and cleaning up, it took me all of about 15-20 minutes.  If you don't take pictures or hand wash your dishes, it will take less than half that amount of time.  It can be as simple as combining sugar and oil together for a quick, basic scrub.  I got a little more creative (part of the point of the 30 Days of Creativity, after all)...

Let's gather our ingredients:

1 cup of sugar

I just used regular white sugar because it's what I had, but you can also use brown, raw, or cane sugar or any combination for different scents/consistencies.

13 tsp olive oil

Okay, that really is an approximate amount.  I've seen recipes calling for 10 tsp and some calling for a 1:1 ratio with the sugar.  I usually start with around 10 tsp (to a cup of sugar) and then eye ball it from there.  I don't like having too oily of a scrub, so I usually just make sure everything is moist plus some.  Also, you can use pretty much any oil or combination of oils you like; I just really love olive oil & it's medicinal qualities.

3-4 tblspn Epsom Salts

Again, that's an approximation.  Epsom salts are amazing for you (it draws toxins from the body, sedates the nervous system, reduces swelling, relaxes muscles, it is emollient, a wonderful exfoliator, and more) and they add texture to the plain white sugar.

3 bags of green tea

Just rip open the bags and empty the contents.  I drink green tea all the time and use green tea infusions in many concoctions.  The antioxidants in green tea and it's anti-inflammatory properties are both excellent for the skin.

2 tblspn honey

Honey has many wonderful qualities but the #1 reason for using it in this recipe is that it's a natural humectant which means that it seals moisture into your skin.  

Vitamin E

Totally optional, but I like to include it because it's good for your skin in addition to being a natural preservative.  You can empty the contents from a couple of capsules or use a dropper full.

Essential Oil

I used lemon because I love the refreshing scent and it also has preservative properties.  Other popular options include orange, vanilla, lavender, ylang ylang, etc.

*This is not an exact science and it's meant to be fun, so use your own judgement with measurements and ingredients!*

Some simple instructions:

• First step is to combine all of your dry ingredients.

• Mix in your olive oil next.  Followed by the honey, then the Vitamin E and essential oil.

• Last, store in an air tight container.  Try to keep moisture out including during use.  *Please be careful if you decide to store your sugar scrub in a glass jar as your hands WILL be slippery when you use it!*

For gift giving: you can add a pretty label to it or even put a seashell in it to use as a scoop.  I've given away a few of these and everyone raves how soft their skin is after use.  This one, however, is going in my shower.

Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday: Bird's Nest

We originally spied this a few weeks ago.  I don't know if it's still occupied, but I love it.