We don't need no stinking named brand detergent.

So are you tired of forking down lots of $$ to buy all those named brand detergents that line the supermarket shelves?

They are quite pricy these days, but fear not fellow readers. There is indeed a solution!

Andi makes our own detergent for us!

Yes, every once in a while I see her doing her mad scientist routine, cooking up our own homemade, non-toxic, earth friendly laundry detergent.

So first off, save that last giant jug of detergent you have.

Once you've used up that corporate sludge, clean it out. See, you can put the new stuff in there!

You'll need:

BORAX
WASHING SODA
CASTILE SOAP
5 GALLON CONTAINER

Bring 4 cups of water to just below a boil.

Shave off a bar of castile soap into the water. You can use something like a cheese grater to do this.

Once the soap has melted, remove it from the heat and pour it into your 5 gallon container.

Add 3 gallons of HOT water. Stir together until well mixed.

Add a cup of washing soda. Still well.

Add 1/2 cup of borax. Mix all of it well, cover with a lid, and let sit overnight.

It will become a sort of strange gelatin like substance. We then fill our re-usable named brand jug with our new detergent.

Each load calls for about 1/2 a cup or I guess, really, just fill the cap like you normally would.

Just remember to shake the bottle up each time before you use it.

Now, I can tell you that we have not been let down by this. Our clothes get clean, we save money, and we don't destroy the planet in the process.

It's good stuff.

How much was that power bill again?

I hate the heat.

I really do.

Humid heat, dry heat, it all sucks.

I should probably live in a hockey rink.

So as the temperature rises outside, I want to lower the temp inside, thus raising our power bill.

One thing I hate more than the heat is an astronomically high utility bill.

So let's talk about cooling your house.

First, let's check for energy leaks. Any cracks under the doors? How about your windows? When you take the trash out do you leave the door open the whole time forcing someone to yell something stupid like, "Hey! We're not cooling the whole neighborhood, ya know!"

Get a compass. Which of your windows face south? In the summer, the sun rises in the northeast, passes almost overhead at midday, and sets in the northwest. Make sure these windows are covered or shaded to help cooling and vice versa in the winter for heating.

Fans. Fans are nice. Ceiling fans are even better, if you have them. It's ok to run your fans along with your air conditioner, IF YOU ARE ACTUALLY IN THAT ROOM. Fans don't actually cool the air, they just circulate it. What makes a fan feel like it's cooling you is that it just blows the warm air surrounding you, away.

It's the same trick as blowing on your food. Your breath isn't cold like Superman can make his. You're just blowing the heat away.

Using various fans while you are actually in the room can allow you to raise the thermostat a bit and save on that AC price. Just remember to turn them off when you leave the room.

I really suggest ceiling fans. They aren't super expensive. You can find plenty of ceiling fans for under a $100 and with all home items, they are investments. They usually cost less than a penny per hour to run vs. central AC which cost somewhere close to 70 times that much. Plus, they aren't hard to install.

Catch a break during the summer and have a cooler than average day? Turn off the AC and open the windows and turn the fans on.

If you have a central AC unit make sure it's shaded if possible. The unit has to work harder if it just sits there in the sun.

Always look for the energy star symbol on products, whether it's a fan, a window unit or even a thermostat. Also, look into upgrading your thermostat if possible. We upgraded ours and when I took the old one down, there was actual mercury still inside it! A new, programmable thermostat will allow you to specifically set the temp to where you like it and many you can program to run at certain times. So say, you are going away for the entire day. You could set it to turn on a half hour before you return!

Anyway, these are just some thing to think about when trying to cool your house with less energy and less energy use is good for the earth and your wallet.

Home again, Home again.

Finally re-adjusting after our Las Vegas vacation. Getting ready to begin work on our next blog, making your own laundry detergent.

Under Pressure, Tire Pressure

My fiance is the one who corrected my idiotic way of checking tires. I would just look at them and if none of them looked "low", I'd shrug and move on.

So, many of you probably already know this info, but since it escaped me for so many years, I will assume nothing.

Checking your tire pressure can get you better gas mileage and save you some $$$.

I know for us, our MPG jumped around 15% when our tires are inflated correctly. Not only that, but making sure your tires are properly inflated will allow them to last longer.

Under-inflated and over-inflated tires can cause them to wear out prematurely.

First off, your tires need to be cool when checking the pressure. Your tires will appear to be more inflated when warm aka having been driven. I would suggest checking them in the morning before you use your vehicle.

Find out what the proper tire pressure is for your car. You will find a sticker on the driver side door jam that has the info.




Our vehicle is 32 psi.


Take a tire gauge and press it into the valve. If you hear the air hissing then you haven't attached the gauge properly. Once properly on the valve, take the reading.

Let's say the reading is 29 psi. You have to add air until the gauge reads 32.

Do this for all 4 tires and check about once a month or when you notices your mpg dropping.

NOTE: The psi reading on your actual tire is the MAXIMUM pressure your tire can take. Unless your are hauling a heavy load somewhere, avoid the max psi

Also, don't forget to check your spare tire. The psi reading for it is on the same sticker inside the door.

I know this may be a "duh" blog post, but like I said, I never used to check properly and then I filled my tires according to the psi on the tire.

It's a simple fix that can save you some $$$ and help your car run more efficiently.

Watch and Learn.

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
- Mahatma Gandi


There's this feeling out there that people think that just by watching a documentary they have made a difference.

Our society so often has a feeling of laziness. We figure someone else will solve that problem or if we just make people "aware" then, well, we've done our job.

People must make the change, must make the choices to do things differently. The little things count.

Whether you decide to stop buying bottled water and use a filter on your faucet or ever create 2 recycling bins for your house.

Here are 2 films. One we have seen and found informative and changed how we do things at the house and the 2nd, we really can't wait to see.

It's not enough to just be aware of problems. Once info is presented to you, you either act or you don't. We've decided to act and hope you do to.


Film Number 1



Film Number 2



Enjoy....

Dryer sheets are laced with what?

Don't you just love to open up the dryer, grab that first article of clothing, bury your nose in it and rejoice in that fresh, clean, carcinogen?

Fabric softeners and dryer sheets contain things like the following, usually in untested combinations:

Camphor: Causes central nervous system disorders.
Chloroform: Neurotoxin, anesthetic and carcinogenic.
Linalool: A narcotic that causes central nervous system disorders.
Pentane: A chemical known to be harmful if inhaled.
Benzyl acetate: Linked to pancreatic cancer.
Benzyl Alcohol: Upper respiratory tract irritant.
Ethanol: On the EPA's Hazardous Waste list and can cause central nervous system disorders.
Limonene: Known carcinogen.
A-Terpineol: Can cause respiratory problems, including fatal edema, and central nervous system damage.
Ethyl Acetate: A narcotic on the EPA's Hazardous Waste list.


That smell good aroma you get from dryer sheets is put there to mask the list above. Why do you think dryer sheets have that weird texture, that greasy feeling.

You may think all that comes out of the dryer with your clothes is the smell, not exactly. All the harmful chemicals are now in your clothing.

You will inhale them over time as well as absorb them in your skin.

Another high risk of dryer sheets is a fire.

Dryer sheets can cause a waxy build up on lint filters. Once there is enough build up air will no longer pass through so the heating unit can possibly overheat and burn out.

Such a stoppage can also cause the dryer to catch fire.

There's a simple way to test this theory. Take your lint filter out and run some water on it. If you have build up, the water won't pass through or might drip slowly and could also beed up like it does on grease. Most people think they are cleaning it simply by dumping the lint off.

Either way, good idea to clean off that lint filter.

As for an alternative.

If you have a space, you can always air dry your clothes on clothes line.

You can add a quarter cup of baking soda to the wash cycle to soften fabric or even a quarter cup of white vinegar. (you can also use these to make your own household cleaners, but that's another blog)

There are also earth friendly fabric softeners out there made by companies like seventh generation.


We don't use any dryer sheets and I can't really recall us going through an epidemic of static clothing. Yeah, during the winter, you might catch a shock or two pulling out those sweaters, but that's no big deal to me.

Paper towels are great at soaking up things like... say.. your money.

I've written about this subject before on my personal blog, but it's something that can be done easily.

Paper towels.

Around 90% of US households use paper towels which rings up a total of 3000 tons of waste EACH DAY.

Look, we have ALL been guilty of using way too many paper towels. You see a spot or mess the size of a dime on your counter and you yank at the paper towel roll like you might be spinning the showcase wheel on the Price is Right. It's silly and quite a waste.

Think about what you consume in paper towels per week. 1 roll? 2 rolls? 3 rolls? We MIGHT use 1 roll per month at our house. We sometimes have to dust the roll off, because of its inactivity. How much do you spend on paper towels a month?

Instead of spending X amount of $$ on paper towels each month, why not go to your linen closet, take out a towel or two and cut it up into small rags. Everyone has a few less than desirable towels in the home. Give them a second life. Now you have a number of rags to clean, wipe up, do whatever with, that you just simply put in the washer and re-use.

Don't want to cut up a towel? Head to a dollar store or Big Lots and find some cheap towels. Either way, you will cut down on your waste and save money in the long run.

Think about it, why continually pay money for paper that you will roll up and throw away?