Party like it's 1899!

I've been experimenting with some homemade household and personal care products and thought I'd review the results thus far.

Liquid Laundry Soap: While making this soap my husband said he felt like he was living a page out of "Little House on the Prairie." But so far, it seems to work just fine. I tried it out on diapers first, because, well, that seemed like a good test of cleaning power. They passed the test. Since then we've used it for everything else and I have no complaints. I used Fels Naptha instead of Ivory soap (see link for recipe) since my mom swears by it as a stain fighter (and I agree).

Dishwashing Powder: I was excited about this recipe since I don't know what is in conventional powders and liked how simple it was to make. But...I've had mixed results. Bottom line, the dishes do not get as clean as they do with Cascade-style detergents. I mainly notice the difference on my coffee cups, which retain some coffee residue after I run the dishwasher (not just coffee stains, but stuff that I can wipe off with my finger). Also, some, but not all, of the dishes seem to have residue/film from the powder itself. I will tinker with the recipe before I abandon it, but I was a little disappointed.

Baking Soda Anti-perspirant: No recipe here, just a little baking soda brushed or patted on to your pits! A makeup brush or powder puff works well. I was skeptical, but I LOVE it! Anti-perspirants have never worked for me, and they contain more chemicals than I want to put on my body anyway. So I've been using Tom's of Maine natural, unscented deodorant for a long time and like it, but notice some B.O. by the end of the day. And, unfortunately, I'm a pit-sweater. I don't sweat a lot otherwise, but the pits get pretty moist. The baking soda keeps me drier than any anti-perspirant I've tried, and I have practically no B.O. And it's so cheap! It will probably take me a year or so to go through a $0.95 box. It may not work for everyone: my husband has reported skin irritation from the baking soda, which seems surprising to me, but the armpit does seem to be a sensitive area for some.

Vinegar: For just about anything. I've had success with it as a rinse agent in both the dishwasher and washing machine, and as a general cleaner (diluted with water). There are tons of websites devoted to the virtues of vinegar and baking soda.

When my shampoo runs out I'm going to try a new hair-cleaning regimen: pure vegetable oil bar soap followed by a dilute vinegar rinse. I'll report the results when I have them!