Soap Opera

As a kid, I remember spending time with my Grandmothers and Great-Grandmother. While there was always time for fun things like exploring the attic for "buried treasure" and making cookies, one thing was for certain. Never interrupt during the "Young & the Restless" or "Bold and the Beautiful"! Even today, I think you could turn either one of those shows on and see the same old torrid love affairs between the Newmans, Abbotts, Forresters and Logans. So what does this have to do with Gettin' Krunchy you may ask? Allow me to indulge you in a little pop culture history for a moment....

The term "soap opera" was derived from the early days of radio and television broadcasts in which the manufacturers of household cleaning products would sponsor a program in the form of advertising and later advancing in the form of product placement (think about Reese's Pieces and the movie E.T.) in the actual scene. Of course, in those days, the sponsorships were targeted toward the stay at home wives and mothers of that generation so most of the ads involved products for cooking or cleaning such as Arm & Hammer, Ivory Soap, Borax, etc.

Over time, I think we as consumers have become so focused on time and efficiency and are at times willing to overlook cost and even quality of the products we use. Take laundry soap for example. Growing up, I always saw one particular brand of laundry soap in our laundry room.  When we ran out and needed something washed in a snap, I will admit, we resorted to using a little glob of shampoo. It seemed to work at the time. But now that I am a Mom, I am not only concerned with what is in the things I use but the cost as well. Let's be real here. Laundry Detergent is NOT cheap! Not to mention all the dyes and chemicals that are found in the common brands in the stores. I really laugh at the idea now that we would associate a blue liquid that smells like pooey-flowers with cleanliness.

A little over six months ago, I read an article about homemade laundry soap and have made my own since then. It is better for the environment and my family but best of all, it is dirt cheap and super easy to make.

Here is what you will need:

• 2 bars of Ivory Soap (shave down to a flake-like texture)
• 2 cups of Baking Soda
• 2 cups of Washing Soda (Arm & Hammer)
• 2 cups of Borax
• 25-30 drops of any desired essential oil such as Tea Tree Oil. (Tea Tree oil is suggested to be anti-fungal, antiviral, antibacterial, and antiseptic).

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together and place in any container that will keep it cool and dry. I only use about 1/4 to 1/2 of a cup per load, depending on the size of the load.

For anyone who thinks this will take too much time, it literally takes you 5 minutes. The longest part of it is shaving down the soap but you could spend a few extra bucks to buy a box of Ivory Snow Flakes if you weren't up for using a little "elbow grease." All of these ingredients I found in the regular grocery store, with the exception of the Washing Soda. You could ask your local store to order it for you or you could order it in bulk from http://www.greatcleaners.com/. Sometimes, it can also be found in hardware stores. But trust me, it is well worth the time because you will save a lot of money on laundry soap.

Give it a try and let me know your thoughts.