Laundry Tabs, Dishwasher Tabs...

In an earlier post I wrote about binging. No not alcohol or gambling or even copious amounts of food but on types of food I eat, reading books, writing, sports and hobbies. I begin a routine and embrace it to the fullest until I am no longer satiated and then I move on until I get the urge to read again, write again, dabble in photography, knitting, biking, etc. The good news is they always come back.

One of my favorite binges is baking which usually occurs in the dead of winter. I love being in the kitchen and concocting delectable goodies from new recipes. My husband loves it too for I can bake a mean pan of oatmeal rolls, cookies, and one of his favorites brownies.

Last August, due to health reasons, I became gluten/wheat free. It was a leap for me but I had felt so poorly for so long I had to try something more holistic than just taking stomach medications. And so the journey began. It was a learning curve but I am happy to report, I feel so-ooooo much better. But I digress.

My newest binge is making cleaning products. Why? Well, I think I still wanted to bake but a baker has to taste their product (or at least I have to). So the joy of baking was no longer there for me (my husband has not complained). I tried to replicate my recipes with specialty flours with no success. I still wanted to be in the kitchen in the dead of winter and food was not the answer. I saw a recipe for liquid laundry detergent on Facebook and decided to give it a try. It worked great. My next experiment was dishwasher tabs. I have never been a fan of the plastic encasement on the tabs that we buy. Where does that plastic go? Does it completely melt? I think not.

I get the same kind of satisfaction from creating cleaning recipes as I used to get from baking. Not all products come out great the first time but after tweaking and when you get one that really works well, it is an accomplishment and then the savings can begin too. The savings are a bonus factor. I did not do this to save as much as to fill a need to be in the kitchen experimenting in the dead of winter. I think of myself as a homegrown kitchen chemist. I love science.

I can make dishwasher tabs and laundry tabs for about half the price of the ones in the stores. I know what is in them and I can control whether they have fragrance or not. They are just the right size, not too much or too little. They take up less room and are less messy than their dry or liquid cousins. My spot remover works better than anything I have ever purchased and my kitchen wipes can be used in the classroom because they are safe for the kids. They are made with rags that get washed and used again instead of being thrown away. I like that.

Next recipe...a liquid to wash the outside windows that dries without squeegee and is supposed to be streak free. I will believe that when I see it and can't wait for it to warm up so my husband can give it a try!