Thanks to Adam and Eve, we have to wear clothes. Oh yeah, and thanks to them we were also born, so I guess we're even.

Every two weeks, sometimes three, I gather the mental and physical wherewithal to load up the Willy and drag my three to four loads of laundry the next city over. It's possibly a conspiracy hatched by the local land developer that the only non-owner laundry facilities in the city belong to its apartment communities. Someone could make a killing if they opened a laundromat here that charged reasonable rates. Even when I did live in the apartments, I sometimes opted for a short drive and a savings of at least $3 to $5.

A little over a year ago one of my soccer teammates shared a homemade laundry detergent recipe with me. It's pretty simple (check out onegoodthingbyjillee.com for the recipe and lots of other great money saving gems) and my mum is only half way through that original batch. I believe the cost of detergent per load is about four cents. Think about it. You buy a 96 load bottle of detergent for $6 and it costs you about six cents per load. For a dollar or two more you could make all the detergent you'll need for the rest of the year. It's pretty amazing, so amazing that my mother had to tell other people, who told other people who decided that the next enrichment evening at church (a time when all the adult women get together to share recipes and ideas) should be dedicated to homemade laundry products...to be led by yours truly. Hmmm. 

I have to say that I got a lot of help from a particular teammate - RINA! - or Raina, whatever she decides to be called that day. She was everywhere, doing everything, anticipating my needs and making sure the soap was being completed behind the scenes. I truly would've lost my mapos without her. Thanks Romeo!

We demoed a dry detergent, two liquid detergents and a fabric softener. In planning the night I worried that only teaching one laundry product would be too short and not a good enough reason for these sisters to leave their families for one night and use precious gas and time to show up to Enrichment. I decided to add a few more products to the line up and before I knew it, we had our four recipes -- probably one too many. There was great participation and lots of laughter. 

One particular incident involved me, a brand new bottle of V05 conditioner and overactive hands. The fabric softener recipe we used calls for 2 cups of conditioner, I think 3 cups of vinegar and some water. As I was soliciting assistance from the sisters they suddenly gasped and I belatedly realized that my excited hands had compressed the bottle of conditioner and a heaping flow was falling out of the top. That sister was a good sport, she got a healthy amount of conditioner on her hands as I passed her the bottle.

I also noticed that the sisters, all of whom are Samoan, do not honor the measurements of a recipe. 1 cup was more like 7/8 or 5/6 in almost every instance. Each sister went home with a few bottles of laundry samples to try and I'm hoping not to be approached on Sunday if some of those recipes weren't as effective as they should've been.

I have to say it was kind of fun, but I'm not sure that I would share any new discoveries with my mum. I'd like to avoid future tutorials if possible.

warm sleep