We Did It - We are Getting Rid of the Chemicals!

We did it! We are getting rid of the chemicals. Well not completely, but as much as possible, and I can't bring myself to throw away the chemicals that I already have so I'll probably use those up first.

After searching the Internet, and arming myself with a list of healthier supplies, we headed to Walmart and Wholefoods.

Here was the things I wanted:

Baking Soda (I already had on hand)
White Vinegar (I already had on hand)
Borax (Found at Walmart)
Washing Soda (Found at Walmart)
Fels Naphtha Soap (Found at Walmart)
Essential Oils (I ended up getting peppermint, lavender, and tea tree oil for now)
Coconut Oil (This is good for all sorts of stuff)
Arrow Root Powder (sort of like cornstarch in the baking section)
Vegetable Glycerin (I ended up not using this-it was sort of a waste-I'm gonna try to see what I can do with it)
A Few Empty Spray Bottles (Found at Walmart)
A 5 Gal Bucket with a Lid (Found at Walmart)
Lemons (From my mom's lemon tree-I planted one in the spring, but it's still trying to get established)

I also bought a few extra things not for cleaning. My big sister introduced me to pure Elderberry Syrup for colds. It really does help! It's all natural and contains no alcohol (which is a must for Kass)

So here is a photo of my purchases:

Next, we went home and got busy. It was too easy! Everyone wanted to help including my husband who critiqued the whole process, told me if he thought I was adding too much soap or some other ingredient. It was a family event.

We made soap, deodorant, and toothpaste (although I'm not giving up my fluoride toothpaste-I don't quite feel comfortable with that).

Here is a link for the deodorant recipe we made http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ar0BF6hMuGE. It really works! We love this particular recipe.

You can find the recipe for the laundry detergent at http://plainoldkristi.blogspot.com/2008/01/how-to-make-homemade-laundry-soap-step.html. I made mine a little bit different, but it made a little more detergent. I used 1 cup of washing soda, 1/2 cup of borax, 1 bar of grated Fels Naphtha, and essential oils, and 3 gallons of water. Besides that it is pretty much the same. I've even read some recipes that added OxiClean. Anyway experiment and have fun. It really is fun.

So now for some pictures.....

The grated Fels Naphtha Soap. Ave had fun doing this.
He also wanted to be the one to add the hot water in the detergent bucket.
After trying on the deodorant-he did a smell test.
We stored the deodorant in these little plastic cups. We made some for all of us except for Gene. He thinks we are crazy. I wished I would have had some little bitty canning jars or some other pretty small glass container to store it in. Some people even refill their old deodorant containers with it.

I think this was the toothpaste we were making. It consisted of 3 tbsp of coconut oil, 3 tbsp of baking soda, peppermint oil, and one packet of stevia. The recipe also called for an optional bit of vegetable glycerin. I opted out because I read that it puts a coat on your teeth. I'm not a pro, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to leave it out to be safe.

Kass melted the soap for the laundry detergent (of course it must be melted in boiling water).

We have also been using the products to clean our house--particularly vinegar. Believe it or not, the vinegar smells grows on you.

Anyway, we had fun. It was easy, and we're feeling a little bit better about our household environment.