Home made baby wipes!

The second "recipe" I wanted to try was for baby wipes. I don't think we spend a TON on baby wipes to start with since I am all about getting deals but figured it would be something good to try and since we had all the ingredients and already use viva paper towels so why not.  And with #2 on the way, why not save a little extra.  :)

THE VERDICT: they definitely work well for cleaning up diaper messes, sticky hands and faces. My only complaint is they are obviously not as thick as commercial wipes so with a few poopy diapers i have needed an extra wipe or two. Not bad for the price!

Ingredients:
One roll of viva paper towels
2 tablespoons of Baby Wash (you can use your favorite- for this I used Aveeno baby)
1 tablespoon baby oil ( I used the vitamin E and aloe kind I had)
1 storage containers to store wipes
2 cups of water boiled and cooled to room temperature

For the recipe I decided to make two batches of baby wipes since it's so easy.  One for downstairs and one for Brayden's room, so I needed two containers. I actually found two basic tupperware containers that were the perfect size at Big Lots for $2.50.

First cut the roll of paper towels in half with a sharp knife. I used a bread knife and it worked fairly easy despite not cutting them even. lol  After cutting work the inner cardboard roll out so just the towels remain. If the towels start to come out one end it's actually a good thing b/c that's how we want them to unravel later.

Take your storage container(s) and add two cups of your cooled water to each.  Add the 2 tablespoons of baby wash and 1 tablespoon of baby oil to each container and mix.  

Place a roll in to each container and let the roll soak up the mixture for about 10 minutes

With the lid on flip the container over and let the wipes sit for another 10 minutes to make sure the whole roll gets wet.  

When they're done mine looked like this :) I pulled the middle of the roll up so i know where it started and they are ready to use.  Make sure you store them with the lid closed tightly so that they do not dry out.

Brayden stacking and playing drums on the finished product! 

Home made Laundry Detergent!

I've been seeing all these recipes for home made products and have been wanting to give a few a try. I figured for a few dollars if it didn't work out great it's no biggie. A few girls I talk to have been trying out this recipe with success so I figured I would give it a try.  I spent about $10 on all the supplies and it makes a LOT of batches. It's really easy and SUPER cheap, less than $1 for 2 gallons, so why not! Each load uses about 1/2 cup of detergent, which should equal about 64 loads of laundry. 

Ingredients: 
1/3 bar Ivory Soap 
1/2 cup Washing Soda  (if you get Arm and Hammer make sure it's washing soda and NOT baking soda)
1/2 cup Borax
1 utitlity bucket for mixing and cooling
2 gallons of water

First using a box cheese grater grate 1/3 of one bar of soap and set aside

In a large pot mix together 6 cups of water and gated soap. Heat on medium mixing until the soap is melted. 

Once the soap is melted add the Borax and Washing soda. Continue to heat and mix until they are dissolved.  

Pour soap mixture in to your utility bucket. Be CAREFUL the mixture will be HOT! 

Add an additional 4 cups of hot water to the bucket and mix together.  

Add another gallon and 6 cups (of 22 cups total) of room temperature water to the bucket and mix thoroughly.

All that's left to do is let the detergent sit over night.  As it sits it will start to turn in to a runny gel form. Use a funnel to pour it in to whatever container you would like to use to store it. I am reusing an existing laundry detergent bottle. Use about 1/2 cup per load of laundry! Enjoy!