Posts Tagged ‘soap’

Kitchen Hint: Homemade laundry soap for HE (high-efficiency) washers

Sunday, February 12th, 2017

Kirk’s Castile bar soap

By Catherine Haug, February 12, 2017 (image, right from Amazon (1))

Back in 2013 we had a gathering with Sheree Tompkins on Homemade Laundry Soap. Her recipe can be used in standard or HE (high-efficiency) washers because it is a low-suds recipe. This posting offers another HE option, from Wellness Mamma (2).

Like Sheree’s recipe, this one also requires grating a bar of real soap, such as Kirk’s Castile pictured above, Dr Bronner’s Pure Castile bar soap, homemade soap (see also Gathering Summary: Making Soap at Home, by Kathy Mansfield, January 26, 2011). Fels Naphtha is an old-fashioned option but has some questionable ingredients if you care about the environment.

Also included is Wellness Mamma’s borax-free laundry cleaner (two ingredients added separately to the washer). (more…)

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Kitchen Hint: Best treatment for cuts and scrapes

Saturday, June 11th, 2016

By Catherine Haug, June 11, 2016

This kitchen hint comes from me, but I was reminded of this by Mercola’s newsletter (1).

When I was a kid in the 50s, one of the most common treatments for a child’s cuts and scrapes was mercurochrome, a tincture in a dropper bottle. It was very effective against bad microbes, but was eventually banned for over-the-counter sales because of the dangers posed by the heavy metal mercury it contained. Mercury, along with lead and cadmium are the most common toxic heavy metals known to damage the body.

After that banning, moms turned to hydrogen peroxide; it is also a very effective antimicrobial substance, but is it the best treatment for cuts and scrapes?
(more…)

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Kitchen Hint: keeping cleaning sponges fresh with real soap

Wednesday, September 30th, 2015
Kirk's Castile bar soap

Kirk’s Castile bar soap

By Catherine Haug, Sept 30, 2015 (Photo, right, from Amazon (4))

Do you use sponges in your kitchen and bathroom for cleanup jobs? Synthetic sponges tend to get rather smelly after only a few uses, even if you rinse them well. That smell comes form bacteria living in the sponge. A NSF International survey of sponges in U.S. homes found 77 percent of the sponges and dish cloths contained coliform bacteria, 86 percent had yeast and mold, and 18 percent had Staph bacteria. These are what produces the smell.

Another NSF International study in Michigan found that kitchen and bathroom sponges are the ‘germiest’ places in the home. Next in line in the study: toothbrush holders, pet bowls, kitchen sinks -especially the drains, and the coffee reservoir where you pour the water to be heated (5). What’s the best cleaner to rid these places of bad germs?

This hint is from Cat; read on for more. (more…)

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