How To Best Clean My Apple??

I am sure I am not the only one who has wondered lately if they are properly cleaning their fruits and veggies. I am hesitant to admit this, but I have actually washed my apples with dish soap.

I would rather risk soap, than some bacteria. (I just rinsed extremely well). I have also wondered about the veggie rinses available at the local markets. After a bit of research, I have found that vinegar diluted with water is a great home made solution for smooth skinned fruits and vegetables.

Mix:

1 c vinegar to 3 parts water in a spray bottle.

An apple or pear would require about 6 squirts, and a final rinse of cold water.

In a study conducted by Cook's Illustrated and broadcasted by NPR, @ http:/www.npr.org, in a piece titled "What Does It Take to Clean Fresh Food", they found the vinegar rinse to be the most effective of the 4 techniques they tried:

1. Anti bac soap- not recommended. (I never used anti-bac)

2. Vinegar rinse (above recipe) & cold water rinse to follow. Removed 98% of the bacteria, in about 30 seconds.

3. Scrubbing fruit with a scrub brush. Removed 85% of the bacteria.

4. Cold water rinse. Water can remove 98% of bacteria if used to rinse and soak the produce.

This can be an effective solution for not so smooth produce. You could even add vinegar to the soak. Can we ever be to careful?

Smells Like Home!

I love this time of year!

It's all I can do to not start decorating for Christmas! Don't worry, the Christmas music has surfaced!

One of my favorite friends introduced me to this stovetop potpourri, it is amazing!

1 orange- cut up

3-4 cinnamon sticks

2-3 bay leaves

1/4-1/2 cup whole cloves

Add above ingredients to a saucepan, with plenty of water. Bring to a boil.

Reduce to simmer. Add water as needed! You can mix it up depending on the season. A citrus variety is great for Spring/ Summer. This is also a great gift. I put everything in to a cellophane bag, (just leave the orange whole). be sure to include the instructions.

Enjoy!

Clean and Fresh

This laundry tip may seem obvious, but I will share anyway... Always leave the washer lid/door ajar. We don't want a dark, damp environment in our washers, not to mention the odors that come with it. If your washer has a less than pleasant odor, run the washer empty, on hot and add 1 cup vinegar. I do this occasionally regardless, in my dishwasher also. The vinegar cleans the

residue from the pipes.

Life is what happens while you are busy doing other things!

Wow!! How is it August??

I am still making, using and selling laundry soap, I just haven't attended many Farmer's Markets ... at least as a vendor.

It has been a busy year!

Our son, Rex returned in April, from serving a two year mission for our church , The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, he served in Russia. His return brought much enthusiasm for places like Disney World, Jackson Hole and just down time together as a family.

Our daughter Emiley announced her engagement to Josh...who is awesome by the way, the same month, so... We had a beautiful July wedding in the Salt Lake City temple.

School is now back in session, and I have been contacted by some of my favorite long distance friends, who are wondering why they STILL cannot acquire pure laundry soap with the push of a button. Those of you who know me the best, know exactly why, although I have many creative juices flowing through my body at any given time... I have zero technical ones. I know it is sad.

I will enlist the help of my sweet, patient husband, or my very technically inclined, and also very patient, sister in law Sarah who has been the master mind of much of what you see on Pure Laundry today, including our new fancy button. Thanks Sarah!!

I have decided to offer random laundry tips. I would also love to hear your favorite tips also. Please share!

Today's tip:

Keep a bottle of your favorite dish washing liquid handy to pre-treat food stains. Just dab a bit on and toss it in the washer.

I always prefer the brands that do not contain phosphates etc.

"You had better bottle this stuff" ... Well, with maybe 10 days notice, I found out we could participate in the Sweet William Open Air Market in Denver. A chance to test the market and find out if there was any interest in the general public, for this kind of product.

It was a crazy week to say the least. My dear friend("dear friend"- someone who jumps on board with any crazy idea you have and makes it happen) Diane, and her very enthusiastic family, along with my own very supportive family got to work. Looking back it was a blast. It was a learning experience as well. We made a sign. Made lots and lots of laundry soap, and were off.

It was a VERY hot day, but so much fun!!

Our best customer so far is an elderly gentleman from Utah. He bought 10 bags, bless his heart.

Over all we felt it was a success.

Why Pure Laundry?

I created Pure Laundry for people like me.
 A busy mom who likes nice things, who also is concerned with making healthy choices,  and takes pride in caring for my family.   I wanted a laundry soap that worked well, wasn't full of added fillers and unnecessary ingredients.

Having moved recently to a new home in the middle of a corn field...with a septic system,

having also purchased a front loading washer, I wasn't happy with how the laundry smelled.

My husband had even commented, "our towels didn't smell bad, just not fresh."

I started experimenting.  I discovered many recipes in random books and online for homemade laundry soap.  Eventually, we created a recipe we were pleased with.  My 10 year old son, who was actively involved in mixing, pouring and stirring... ran to the laundry room.    He had his first real lesson in sorting laundry.  We did a towel load first.  We were thrilled with the results.  The true test was when my husband,  having used a freshly washed towel,  exclaimed, "You had better bottle this stuff, these towels smell amazing!"

We have enjoyed lots of help and support from dear friends and family.  Ultimately, we hope you are as pleased with our product as we are.

We use the finest ingredients, including 100% pure essential oils. The essential oils help clean and freshen the laundry. They offer other benefits as well. In addition to smelling wonderful, some have antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties.

There are three scents available:

Citrus-

Orange- Uplifting and antidepressant. Helps remove stains.

Grapefruit- Refreshing and uplifting.

Lemon- Stimulating, helps whiten laundry

I use this for every day laundry.

Lavender- Relaxing and calming.

This is great for all bedding, pajamas, baby clothes etc.

Peppermint- Purifying, energizing and stimulating.

I have had terrific results with stinky socks and football uniform.
I use this for almost everything during the month of December, for obvious reasons!!

Citrus

Lavender

Peppermint