The Wonders of Fels Naptha!

Proverbs 31:27 "She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness."

I have to say that I just LOVE Fels Naptha soap! As Lauren mentioned in an earlier post, we are both making our own homemade laundry detergent. Although there are other soaps that can be used for this detergent (such as Ivory or Colgate's Ocatagon), we both prefer FN! It's just the best!! : )

I wanted to take a little time to highlight FN and all of the other economical things it can also be used for. The more uses for your product, the more bang for you $$$$! If you look here, you can see many of the uses listed below and then some!

"**Fels Naptha Soap is a fantastic stain remover and pre-treater. It works especially well on oil-based stains. Just rub the stain with a wet bar of Fels Naptha Soap. Let it sit for a while and launder as usual. It works great on baby clothes which have formula stains.

~For chocolate smudge on clothes, rub the stain with Fels Naptha Soap and let sit in your filled washer with 20 Mule Team Borax for 30 minutes. Launder as usual.

~Thoroughly wash all clothing including hats, gloves coats in Fels Naptha Soap to prevent an outbreak of poison ivy. Poison Ivy resin can remain on your clothes for over 1 year. Washing with Fels Naptha will eliminate the resin from your clothing.

~To remove Halloween makeup from clothing, simply work a little Fels Naptha into the stain and launder as usual. It may take a repeat washing to completely remove the stain.

~To clean white canvas tennis shoes, simply work the Fels Naptha Soap into a lather and use a soft brush to work into the canvas. Launder as usual without chlorine bleach.

~To remove old stains on colored clothes, make a solution of 2 cups warm water and 1/2 cup white vinegar. Pour on stain. Let soak for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Rinse well and work in Fels Naptha Soap. Launder as usual.

**Poison Ivy Prevention: Fels Naptha Soap has been used for over 100 years for the treatment and prevention of poison ivy, sumac and oak rash. If you think you have been exposed to poison ivy, oak or sumac, shower immediaetly with Fels Naptha to remove the resin from your skin. This will greatly reduce and in most cases, prevent any skin reaction to the poison ivy oil. Make sure to launder your clothes in some shaved or grated fels naptha (about 1/16th of the bar) to remove the resin from your clothes. Poison Ivy resin can stay on your clothes for over 1 year even if the clothes have been washed with normal detergent.

~Poison Ivy Treatment: If you are exposed to poison ivy and you have a reaction, simply shower with Fels Naptha to remove any resin left on the skin and it will help to dry up the rash as well."

FN also can be useful for certain lawn care aspects, cleaning paint brushes, or just general cleaning for really tough jobs.

I also wanted to put up a quick post on the liquid version of our detergent:

*6 c. Water

*1/2 bar Fels Naptha Soap, grated

*1/2 cup Washing Soda

*1/2 cup 20 Mule Team Borax

*3 Gallon bucket to mix it in

*22 c. hot water

Mix Fels Naptha soap in a saucepan with 6 c. water and heat on low until dissolved. Stir in Washing Soda and Borax. Stir until dissolved and thickened, and remove from heat. Add 4 c. of hot water to large bucket (must be able to hold at least 3 gallons). Add soap mixture, and mix well. Add 1 gallon plus 6 c. (or 22 c.) hot water, and mix well. Set aside for 24 hours, or until mixture thickens. Use 1/2 cup of mixture per load.

I have made the liquid version, which works just as well as the powder. I just like the simplicity and the "lack of wait" for the powder much more!! : )

Again, I love FN and hope you find it as useful as I have!!!

~Page

P.S. Having trouble finding FN? Watch for sales here and get it for as little as $0.99!!!

Healthy Living: Making Your Own Cleaners!

Proverbs 31:27 "She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness."

I certainly have a passion for lots of things, but one of the BIG ones on my list are homemade, natural cleaners. There are so many chemicals in our world, the fewer in our homes--the better!

Now, some of you may be raising an eyebrow at the thought of "homemade" and "natural" when it comes to cleaners, but I gotta tell you--they work, and they work well. Most even work better than the store bought, chemical laden cleaners. (Much to my surprise at times!)

Ok, I'm not gonna drone on about the dangers of some of the ingredients in the cleaners we buy... The internet is overloaded with that stuff. All I really want to do is provide a healthier home to my family and hopefully inspire others to do so. I'll assure you--these things I'll share with you will save you time, save you money, and will be easy to make. I don't have the money to throw away on things that won't give results, nor do I have the time to waste with tons of extra work.

These cleaners will leave you--not only feeling better because of the ingredients--but feeling good because of the the accomplishment. You made these cleaners, to suit you, and your home and loved ones are better for it!

Obviously, I am biased to my homemade stock. But, I really want to encourage you to give it a try. You won't be disappointed!

The above items are my "go to" items, give me these--and I can pretty much clean an entire house; from floors to laundry, from bathrooms to dishes! I'll get you the details soon!! P.S. I forgot the GSE in the first pic, hence the lonely pic No. 2!! : )

Now, I'll share one of my favorite, always on hand cleaners. I use it mostly for the bathroom, but it is great for anywhere where you feel needs serious germ detail. This mixture is a great antibacterial spray and is so simple!

Germs Away Spray

2 c. water

1/4 c. liquid castile soap

20 drops of essential oils

(preferably lavender, tea tree, rosewood, lemon, or eucalyptus)*

*a mixture of the above oils to suit is best!

Place the ingredients in a spray bottle, and shake well before each use. Wipe clean with a damp cloth or sponge.

And that's it! I told you it was simple, and so effective! I like to change the scents up, depending on my mood... : ) Give it a try, and let me know what you think!

Look for many more cleaner recipes to come!!

~Page

Homemade Rug Deodorizer

Proverbs 31:27 "She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness."

I am privileged to have mostly hardwood floors throughout my house, but I do have a couple of rugs throughout. I don't know about you, but over time, despite constant vacuuming -they just need a "pick me up" in the smell good department. That probably is in part due to my adorable "kids" -see pic below. ;-) While my babies are hypo-allergenic and "shed-free" (fact -there is no totally shed-free dog), they definitely give me reason to freshen my carpets!
I was talking to Page on the phone (gasp! -ha!) and mentioned how I hate the rug in my sun room, it was just not smelling good. She, being the ever wise friend that she is, told me about a natural, homemade carpet deodorizer.

Baking Soda + a few drops of Essential Oils = Homemade Carpet Deodorizer!










I chose to use orange oil, because I LOVE the smell of citrus and find it completely refreshing. Feel free to use whatever essential oil you prefer. The easiest way to find these oils is online, blog post about these little gems later.

Next, take and pour some Baking Soda into a dish and sprinkle in a few drops of the essential oils. Keep in mind that these oils are EXTREMELY concentrated and a few drops really go a long way. Now, you'll see from the picture that I used several more than you might need, just because I was dealing with an extra STINKY rug! ;-P

The picture below shows exactly what to do - sprinkle a few drops and mix well. It will end up looking just like a small bowl of good smelling baking soda!


Sprinkle this mixture on your carpet, just like you would with any store bought carpet deodorizer. The great thing about this homemade product is that it is chemical free (that's another post for another day) and VERY economical! For my thin, fibrous rug seen below, I just allowed the mixture it to rest on top and fall through the fibers. For any other carpet, gently brush it in to get a thorough reviving.
Once it's sprinkled over the rug/carpet, let it do its job for a little while. I left mine on for 30min or so, it all depends on the needs of your rug. Once you've let it do its wonders, simply vacuum and your rug will be smelling fresh and clean!! (an added bonus is that it enlivens your vacuum too, making it smell great!)


~To sum it all up -this is an affordable, economical, environment friendly, chemical-free, best-smelling-ever, way to freshen your carpets! Try it on all carpets that you can vacuum, including in your car! Be creative and start making the world a better place, one rug at a time! ;-D

I know this is an extremely practical post, but I hope it'll be of help to someone! I am now happy to say that my rug in the sun room, does not stink!! Thank you, Page!!


Until next time!

~Lauren