FROM THE SEER:
Because you are a Godbeing among men, every decision and life change you make has enormous consequences – unseen from your limited vantage point. Let’s share the small steps to implement in our daily choices to help heal the planet.
Millions of plastic bottles can be found on beaches around the globe. Not only should your laundry detergent be phosphate-free and biodegradable, but I recommend that it come in recyclable or recycled boxes. I use the following: Tru Earth laundry detergent strips.
Use as many perfume-free products as you can.
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I love this, thank You for sharing!! Into the 70’s we had a twin tub and I used to be fascinated by the spinner! I was trying to remember how I paid my bills before the internet, my electricity was a coin meter and at one point there was even a coin meter for the tv (to pay the licence)! Am in the process of establishing a vege garden. There are some amazing solar products available now, which is exciting. Look forward to learning more about Ruth’s solar powered car!
Carrying on from Hunt’s comment:
My mother too always used natural household concoctions, decoctions and elbow grease when I was little…and on into the mid-1950s. I remember a ‘tar soap’ and another dark gritty one that my father used after working on the car, and one made with cow spleen juice for rubbing on stains and the backs of white collars. Various versions of ‘savon de Marseille’: olive oil based greenish paving stone-sized cubes; soda crystals, bicarbonate of soda, percarbonate of soda: lemon juice quick! on red fruit stains, salt, discretely, on red wine stains on the white table cloth.
She used a washboard on the slanted edge of a deep laundry sink and then after a thorough rince in hard water softened with some bicarb, and a second soak with a little ‘bluing’ for white stuff (it creates an optical illusion of blue-white cleanliness), she swung a ringer across and turned the long crank handle to ring out the wash through two long rollers. I got to stand on a stool and passe the handkies through.Then into a big wicker basket, out the back door without letting the cat in, a vigorous shake and pegged it up on the whirligig clothesline. She often painted dollies for me from a new packet of those split-wood pegs. In between laundries they were kept in a pretty gingham pouch fitted onto a child’s coat hanger hooked over an inner cord of the clothesline.
And hey! do you know about starching cotton clothes before ironing? Well, every week on ironing day a pot of broken bits of white rice was boiled in lots of water on a back burner, then passed through a sieve…the resulting starch water was dabbed on the ruffles of my little frocks. As soon as I was given a choice of clothes I curiously refused ruffles! Very uncomfortable in a hot climate. My mother gave in easily enough since Coco Chanel also left off ruffles (I only learned that later). But although I didn’t like school I enjoyed sucking the bias end of my pinafore sash, which tasted of freshly ironed rice 🙃 A great stress-reliever, sadly overlooked by child psychologists these past several decades
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💙🌱Thank you!🌱💙
Yep, been using earth friendly complete plant/essential oil based detergent my whole life. My mother used it too, even before I was born. Bottles are made from 100% biodegradable plant plastic. It beats walking around with poison detergent infused clothes smelling like a walking chemical bomb! Cheers to anyone else using earth friendly products 🙂
My mother too, when I was little…and on into the mid-1950s. (See rest of story in ‘comments’).Then she purchased a washing machine and dryer.
When our daughter was little we washed everything, her nappies (diapers) included, in the stream, using the river rocks as washboard. Later we offered ourselves a second-hand washing machine, using organically grown wash-nuts. And still hang it out to dry on an ash tree with low branches 🌳 When it freezes that’s the best softener! And the wind.
Yes, I have this product and have used it. It is not as strong as regular detergent so for deep grime or large loads you have to use 2 strips.
Aha! Thanks Dhani!
Thank you for this timely reminder and recommendation 🙂
Ehhh I have these! 🙂
There are many organically oriented websites and shops in towns that sell all the natural ingredients to make ones own cleaning’products’, for every purpose. They can be stored in glass jars and bottles, safe from gathering humidity. Very simple too. Try it!
Thanks Barbara!