Before and After Pictures . . . sorry, I couldn't post the smell of CLEAN!

These are my hot pads, yes I actually use them  . . . .  that is why they look the way they do. They go well with my poor old stove  ;-)  They have gone and done some serious cooking at girls camp, turkey looking (I camp while Jon goes hunting), other camping and at home on a daily basis.  Even though you can see some difference in the two pictures, it really doesn't do justice to the difference.  They were really greasier than you can see in the first pic.

My and Rob's work clothes are very fresh, with no odor left at all.  I had been wearing mine every day for a week working outside.  The best thing is that they smell clean . . . as in, nada!  Can you tell that I have never bought into the "fresh scent" line?  The only thing that could be better would be if they had hung our on the line . .  . sunshine is the best!  Too bad it fades everything at the same time. 

LAUNDRY SOAP . . . the Results!

1.  These are the ingredients you need:  

• Borax--1 cup -- found in your laundry soap aisle
  
• Washing soda--2cups-- this is the baking soda from Costco, I have used it for years in my laundry for blasting odors, and conditioning the water.  I used again in this experiment.
• Ivory bar soap-- 2 bars, 3.5 oz to equal 7 oz.-- I found Fels Naptha at Ace Hardware and Fry's grocery store.  the "scent" (more like stench!  NOT a floral smell, unless it was stink weed) was so strong it gave me an asthma attack in the car, even though it was wrapped in a grocery bag and heavy duty ziplock bag.  = {   Had my daughter return it so I could stay away from it . . . she put it into her trunk so that she didn't have to smell it!

1.  Take your little hammer to the bars of soap.  (Do you just love my "little" hammer?  I use it to drive rebar into the hard caliche we have for soil.)    2.  The bars break up easily if you start on the edges and work you way into the middle of the bars.

1.   The pieces were all under an inch when I put them into the processor.  2.  After 20-30 seconds of whirling.  I did it for  a minute to minute an half until it was very powdery.  Don't open it right away.  It floats into the air, not so good if you have asthma or allergies!  Sure glad that I returned the Fels Naptha!  

I forgot the last step!  I put all three ingredients into a big bowl and stirred them with the whisk, while standing outside to avoid breathing the dust.   The whole process took about 5 minutes. 

I washed my very dirty, smelly work clothes and my son's very dirty, sour smelling work clothes to test it.    We had spent most of a day working outside and they were really "ripe".  They came out of the washer smelling clean!  I also put in my hot pads that have been camping.  I will share the total results, including some before and after pictures tomorrow.

Thanks to Liz for letting me know what I had forgotten to put into this.  Now you know why my daughter has appointed  herself my editor!!