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Post by happyskunk on Jul 2, 2011 0:11:36 GMT -5
Here is a nice website I found today. The Urban Farming Guys. theurbanfarmingguys.com/ They have some good aquaponics info. Check it out! |
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Post by 12540dumont on Jul 2, 2011 16:03:00 GMT -5
Love the make your own laundry soap. I just may have to give this a try. Thanks Happy. Hope your garden is doing well!
Holly
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Post by happyskunk on Jul 2, 2011 16:14:33 GMT -5
Hi Holly, I like all the photos you have been posting lately! My garden is really starting to grow! I'm interested in the aquaponics and bio-digester they have on the website. For laundry I'm interested in soap berries. www.lehmans.com/store/Home_Goods___Laundry___Washing___Laundry_Soap_Nuts___1117735?Args=I wonder if one can cross the soapberry from India with the soapberry from the southern midwest. Wouldn't it be nice if we could just go out and pick our laundry detergent off a tree? |
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Post by 12540dumont on Jul 2, 2011 16:26:27 GMT -5
Skip the soap nuts. Phew! Tried them, had to wash the whole darn thing again. They told me I had a bad batch.
But I sure hate the commercial stinky stuff. I don't even like that isle in the store. Personally, I like my soap to smell just plain old clean.
I was out with some native American folks and they grabbed a hunk of ceanothus blossoms, added water and made a great lathering hand soap. I've been thinking about Ragged Robin and Soapwort. What kind of soap berry do you have?
Thanks about the photos, I think sometimes the pictures are worth a million words. I love all the photos on this site.
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Post by DiggingDogFarm on Jul 2, 2011 23:28:36 GMT -5
I've made the laundry soap for 15+ years...no need for the Fels-Naptha...homemade lard soap will do....or a cheap bar soap.
The washing soda can be had at a pool supply, no need to pay the high price for the Arm&Hammer.
~Dig
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Post by mnjrutherford on Jul 3, 2011 19:41:24 GMT -5
Actually, any bar soap will do, I think. I've made my last 2 batches with Kirk's Castille.
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Post by 12540dumont on Jul 4, 2011 12:31:34 GMT -5
More soapy questions:
Okay in the video, once she has one bucket, she mixes it with another. Couldn't you leave it concentrated and use less?
I have a front loader. Yeah, first new washing machine in 20 years. They want you to use hE detergent. But I'm thinking this soap, but less of it in the wash?
Whatdayathink?
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Post by steev on Jul 4, 2011 14:09:31 GMT -5
Couldn't one just bash the laundry with soapstone? Might be too harsh for a washing machine, though.
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Post by mnjrutherford on Jul 5, 2011 9:55:10 GMT -5
I have a brand spanking new Samsung front loader. The delivery guy asked me what soap I used and if it foamed up a lot. I showed him my bucket and told him it doesn't foam at all. I make it that way because my husband and oldest son are super sensitive to soap and fabric softener. I use straight vinegar for the softener.
When I make my soap, I do cook the grated bar of soap and borax in a medium saucepan till it's all dissolved. I have a 2 gallon Rubbermaid food prep bucket I got from Sam's Club with about a gallon of boiling hot water that I pour the soap mixture into. I stir it every 10 to 15 minutes while it's cooling. When it's almost down to room temperature, I start to add Oxi Fresh.
I add the OF about 1/4 c. at a time, stirring constantly, about every 15 to 30 minutes. The stuff foams up and it remains foamy. The trick is to get it in without having it bubble over the top. It will keep growing for about 24 hours. Once I have 2 cups of OF in the bucket, it's done. I will then add enough warm water to fill the bucket to the top.
My current batch separates so I have to stir it every time I use it and I use about a quarter cup per load. I THINK, don't quote me cause really it's to soon to be sure, but I think that the OF formula is cutting down the graying we had before. The washing soda formula left everything very gray and dingy.
Steev, you go for your laundry with the soapstone! ;o)
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Post by 12540dumont on Jul 6, 2011 12:29:20 GMT -5
MNJ ....Is Oxi - Fresh the same thing as Oxi - Clean?
Steve, I'll send you a washboard to go with that soapstone. And as soon as you're through with that, the windows need washing.
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Post by steev on Jul 6, 2011 17:23:06 GMT -5
One does not use a washboard with a stone, one uses another, larger stone on which to rest the laundry while pounding it with a stone. I shouldn't have to point this out, but American women are SO spoiled with all their appliances. The stone method is traditional, proven technology which leaves one's clothes clean, soft, and button-free.
I don't do windows; disturbs the cobwebs.
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Post by steev on Jul 6, 2011 17:36:08 GMT -5
I think their aquaponics idea must be of great use to me on the farm, though it will take some work to adapt, since the really useful season would be Winter, maybe integrated with a wood-heated water circulation system.
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Post by seedywen on Jul 6, 2011 18:34:12 GMT -5
And you've logged a lot of time, doing laundry this way, steev?
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Post by ottawagardener on Jul 6, 2011 19:27:55 GMT -5
I agree, spiders are useful friends that should be left alone. As for laundry, I could use the stones. Rubbing them together with my knuckles gives me blisters. I love my washing machine though.
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Post by steev on Jul 6, 2011 20:19:38 GMT -5
Of course I've not done washing that way; I'm in management, not labor! I'm the idea guy, seeing the big picture, making the hard decisions! That's why I get the big bucks, or would, if I had any say in it.
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