Self-sufficient households; help!

[coffeemama]

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I thought Nigerian Dwarf goats had the highest milk fat of goat breeds

 

[nightshade]

according to storey's dairy goat guide if I read it right the nubians are the jersery cow of the goat world. I didn't really read much on the Nigerian Dwarfs cause they are so darn tiny I would hate to try to milk one of them. I want a billey or weather so bad for a pet but I guess I never realy thought of them as a "dairy" goat instead of more of a pet breed.

 

[FLchook]

Ok, mom and I made the laundry soap today. Found everything at Publix (local grocery store chain) for under $10. And that will make about 15 cups of laundry soap! A bit skeptical, we still used only the 2 tsp in a fair size load, and IT WORKED!!!! Sox were white, everything smelled pretty too. Just goes to show you how much filler is in all that expensive soap.

Ill be taking the brand new $12 bottle of tide back to the store tomorrow! Thanks for sharing guys!

 

[Chick_a_dee]

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2 tsp!... I think I'll go and buy some ingredients tonight!

 

[Beekissed]

All the ingredients for the dry soap makes 15 c. of soap for just under $10 dollars? I can't even begin to calculate (not really into math) what that will translate using tsp. measurements. I do know that with about the same amount of ingredients (additional to replenish the bars of Felsnaptha occasionally) I have been doing laundry for a year and a half using the liquid recipe. Its me and 2 teenage boys...so we do quite a bit of laundry. We use the measuring cup on the top of the 40 load jugs we have used to hold the liquid ingredients. I may be wrong and it may be 6 of one and half a dozen of the other, but it seems one can make more soap using the liquid recipe that I have been using.

We just now bought a new box of Borax and A&H washing soda....after a year and a half of using this recipe! It may all work out to be the same, and cheap is cheap, so who cares? Isn't it great to not have to buy that gunk from the store anymore and have your clothing scented with something you don't want?

 

[Southern28Chick]

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Don't know how I missed this thread. If you do a search online you can find recipes for handmade soap, look for COLD PROCESS SOAP. I don't share my recipe, sorry, it took 3 years to get it perfect and I don't share it with anyone. You can find basic recipes online. You can be as simple as you'd like, lye, water and lard or you can go cruelty-free with it...lye, water and vegetable oils. You can leave it unscented or use fragrance oils or essential oils. Essential oils are pretty expensive (which is why folks like me who have an all natural soap biz charge a pretty penny for our soaps).

If you are looking for self sufficiency your best bet is lard, lye and water and no scent. Or if you want to stay away from lard use plain old vegetable oil. Say away from recipes with olive oil...olive oil is VERY good for your skin but is pricey and not great if you're trying to be self sufficient.

Soaps like mine are not what you want if you're looking to be self sufficient. It cost me double the price of store bought soap to make a bar of my all natural soaps. My soaps are more for environmentally friendly folks who don't mind spending a few extra bucks for a product that is 100% biodegradable and great for your skin at the same time.

PM me if you have any questions.

EDITED TO ADD: BE VERY VERY VERY CAREFUL WITH LYE!!!!!!

 

[Backyard Buddies]

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This is a question that I'd also like answered. I paid a lot of money for my HE washer because it saves me money in electricity, gas, and water bills. It spins so fast that my dry time is only about 30 minutes for a load that includes jeans. I'd love to switch over to the homemade detergent, but I don't want to void my warranty which requires that I use only HE detergent.

What is the sudsing like in this home made detergent?

 

[Wildsky]

I looked when we did our grocery shopping today - no washing soda at all, I didn't look further than that.... I was really bummed.

 

[Acre of Blessings]

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This is a question that I'd also like answered. I paid a lot of money for my HE washer because it saves me money in electricity, gas, and water bills. It spins so fast that my dry time is only about 30 minutes for a load that includes jeans. I'd love to switch over to the homemade detergent, but I don't want to void my warranty which requires that I use only HE detergent.

What is the sudsing like in this home made detergent?

I have used my homemade laundry in our HE front load washer since we bought it and the reasone it works so well is because it is low sudsing. See alot of suds in detergents makes all the gunk cling to your pipes, but this doesn't. I have been using it for going on 2 years now without any type of problems.

Also for those who asked, here is the fabric softner recipe I use. PLEASE read all instructions first and follow them carefully.

What you need:1 cup baking soda
6 cup white distilled vinegar
8 cup warm water
10-15 drops of essential oil (optional) for scent
1 gallon empty container ( I use an old fabric softner jug)

Directions: FOLLOW CAREFULLY
1.) Put soda in container
2.) Add 1 cup warm water and swish
3.) Add all 6 cups of vinegar A LITTLE AT A TIME because it will foam up very quick (all I do is swish it around in the jug).
4.) Add 7 cups of warm water and swish some more. MAKE SURE TO VENT IT.
5.) Add essential oils (optional) for scent

Store and use as you would use store bought. Hope this helps you save some money. I just go ahead and stock up on the ingredients for both the detergent and softner. Let me know how you like it.

 

[Southern28Chick]

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I have to order mine online.