What's the fuss about detergent?

Well, it's cheaper by comparison and fun to make!

I read up on the different recipes out there, and ended up kinda mixing things up here and there. Here's my recipe: (no photos though, I forgot!)

1 cup Borax
1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
1 bar of Fels Naptha laundry soap, can substitute with Ivory or any bar soap you like
A big pail with lid (i used an 18liter pail)

1. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil, then turn down the heat to a bare simmer.
2. Add in the grated soap bit by bit, stir til no more soap particles left. Make sure its not too hot or it will bubble over the pot sides.
3. When all is melted, turn off the heat. Add in the Borax and washing soda. Stir til smooth (no more gritty crystals).
4. Fill the pail slightly more than halfway full of the hottest tap water (cos i'm making 3 gallons = 11 liters). I did this in the bathroom, using the water heater at almost maximum.
5. Pour the soap mixture into the water, stir well. 
6. I'm not a fan of the smell this detergent gives, so i added about 15 drops of essential oil (bergamot) per gallon.
7. Let it sit for 8 hours or overnight. 
8. After that it would have set into a jelly like consistency, so just stir again to whip it up into a nice liquid.

It is now ready! Just add 1/2 cup to your normal wash, 1 cup for extra soiled wash.

I however would prefer to keep it in a smaller container, and hide this big pail under the sink. So i've added an extra step to this, which is to take out as much as i need to fill a large Ikea glass jar 3/4 full, whip it up in my mixer (also can use the blender for this) and fill the jar with the whipped cream like substance. Add a nice label and i'm done!

If you want to know the technicalities of how much it will save me per year, it continues after the jump.

good cheer at the millers

A peek into the life

Well, after receiving my new camera from dad (thanks again, dad!), i had to test it out. Don't mind these lame shots, cos the rest of the house is messy, these were the only good parts *grin*. 

Our shared office, but this particular corner is mine. Corkboard & Table: IKEA.

I only like to use this desktop to do artwork. It's superfast but doesn't have an internet connection =( 

Spot the cleaning schedule!

The view from my bed, it's my favourite spot to sip my breakfast coffee, browse the latest posts in Google Reader and other things. 

After i do my browsing (and wait for the coffee to kick in), i'm out to potter around my little container garden, watering, snipping and poking at the curry leaf plant that hasn't sprouted yet. The rosemary almost died, but i managed to salvage some cuttings to regrow it. The mint is going crazy at the mo, in the big container and also in the fourth pot to the right of the big container. I just trimmed the lemon basil to the height of the rail to make pesto the other day, but it's already grown taller than the rail. The money plant is a funny one, Adrian just can't believe it, i keep cuttings in a vase with water, and it grows and grows and grows, even without soil or anything. The two glass jars are the cuttings i'm letting root to thicken the mint plant and rosemary.

Then the day really starts.

Thursday's Tip: Housekeeping schedules

I've decided to rename Thursday's Recipes to Thursdays Tips. That's because i revert so often to my usual recipes that i don't have that many new ones to give you, haha! Well, that and the fact that i have a number of tips to help whoever is a straight-from-mama's-house-to-your-own-overwhelming-household wife. All the rest of you clean and neat freaks, be gone! (just kidding!)

So today, i have a tip for you on how to keep your whole entire house clean: Housekeeping Schedules! Note: This plan only works when you obey the entire thing, without skipping things, which i have to admit is a hectic mess for me to live by. It's meant to break it down into *easier to handle* chunks of 30-60mins work every day (although sometimes within a day i break it into 20mins per task with some recovery time in between!)

So let me explain:
Weekly Tasks
The 7 spaces going left to right are the 7 days in a week. So i've assigned each day to a room, first of all Monday is Kitchen day, Tuesday is Toilet day, Wednesday is Bedroom day and so on. I've left Sunday free just in case, because we tend to be out most Sundays, so ignore the 7th column for now. So every Monday of every week, you just repeat the tasks set for the day, eg. Discard old food, wipe all surfaces, flush drains, disinfect sponges etc. Every Tuesday you'd do the tasks for bathrooms and you just keep going throughout the week, cleaning a little at a time.

Monthly Tasks
Now some tasks you don't have to do every day or every week, like cleaning the fridge or cleaning the toilets. So the 4 spaces going downwards are the 4 weeks in a month. The 2nd row on Monday is still Kitchen day, but with 2 additional duties eg clean fridge and wash trash bin. So i've spread out things that only need to be done once a month throughout, so wherever there's extra tasks, just add them into the day's tasks.

Now back to the green columns:
Everyday Tasks
I've set some tasks i just need to do everyday to maintain my piece of mind, like clearing out the sink every day, and putting stuff back where they belong. I figure if i do a little every day, it doesn't add up to be a huge monster.

Tasks for Every Three Months
Now these are the big ones that only need done every three months, so i've set the months that i will do them, which are Feb, May, Aug, Nov. So in these months, i'll just add the tasks in throughout the month's tasks (not all at once of course!) and just do them bit by bit.

I know it looks complicated, but it keeps me sane! At least i know what i have to do every day and not just wash when it smells, or grows mold. Hope this helps!

now i know why man created disposable plates and cutlery

do you know how fast the sink fills up with dirty dishes, used cookware and many other things that need to be washed within a days time before they stink up your kitchen? every time i finish washing the stuff in the full sink after lunch, i sigh a little with relief and relish the squeaky clean-ness... for about 2 hours max. Cos then the process starts again when dinner time rolls around!

a little bit of observed wisdom for you: if there are things in the sink, and you don't wash them today, they are going to grow. and by tomorrow, you'll have a landslide of dishes. you may even break some.

i really hate washing dishes. if there's one thing i would like for my birthday, Christmas, anytime?! it would be a dishwasher (be it a person or a machine =) but til then, happy cleaning to me. it sucks that my hands don't even crack from constant dish washing or just general washing. you'd think they would, then i can kesian myself a bit (haha) and put it off til later. but i don't. so i just keep going. i think it's a strange side effect from having to put moisturiser on my eczema, it keeps my hands moisturised so i can wash dishes just fine -.-

Happy New Year!

This marks the beginning of 6th year of me writing here and i'm excited to keep going. It is also the first Christmas and new year Adrian and I will be enjoying as a married couple. And this Sunday will be the first party at our first home! I'm very excited to have everyone over. The house is not really complete to my liking yet, but the fairy lights and decorations are up and it all looks so festive! But i figure it'll be okay. Everyone normally has their housewarming when their reno is all done, but i don't mind doing it now, cos we don't have the money to do more reno at the mo.

See you at the party then!

still messy

But it's slowly getting there. Home status is not too far away.

my home

i would like to blog more about my new house, but the internet connection is limited (which means no pictures). Streamyx will only be here next week (i hope)!

I've barely finished unpacking (more like just begun). I have so many books, i could build a whole house made out of books.

The house is mostly complete, minus a proper kitchen worktop, a couple of study tables and more armchairs in the living room. the rest, is not very important (like a wardrobe for me, a new tv for a). It's a step by step, month by month process. Two shelves this month, one table the next, an armchair after that and it goes on and on. Cheap and good furniture is hard to find.

Speaking of hard to find, moving makes things go missing. And then you find it in a random box one day (after you've already bought the replacement). I now have two can openers -.-

and i'm happy to be able to cross off number two on my 24things list.

I finally have the keys to my house. I call it house cos it doesn't feel like home yet. I have many ideas for the place but not quite enough money to completely overhaul it. one day at a time. one room at a time. for now, it's livable.

moving is a (delicate ears won't like this word). man, i'm now slowly recovering from the dust invasion in my lungs. i wish i could clap my hands and everything appears in place in the new place.

funny conversations that happen while moving :

a: why don't you pack up half your clothes and move it into the new house first?
e: (blank)... i did. all that's left is only half my clothes.
a: (gawp).

while sipping mint coffee...

I watch my little plants grow everyday, and it's just lovely, although i started off with four and now only two are successfully growing. I tried to grow dill and sweet marjoram but i have found that they don't take very well to our weather. Parsley is doing really well and my mint, well i just bought it in a ready pot from a nursery. It's amazing! I see the hand of God more and more in the sustenance of this earth, as i, a mere human, cannot compel my favourite herbs to grow no matter how much i water, fertilize or provide a sunny spot. It just wasn't intended to grow here. God planned for it to grow elsewhere and only there will it grow. So profound, so awesome! God is great!

82 days more

I should be working. But i am inspiration-less. So i am blogging.

I shall endeavour to update you all with nonsensical wedding details. Which probably won't be very hard. I'm dying to upload photos of the invitations but i think i shall refrain til they're all distributed. Adrian says it looks expensive, i shall not tell you how much it really costs me.

I think inspiration should hit me all the time.

By the way, soon i will have a roof over my head. I had one before, just a different one now. Every day draws me closer to having my own personal space! Well not completely personal of course. But still. Here are some inspirations i've been looking at, just to share with you all the direction my style is leaning towards...