tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post5172842080759652902..comments2024-03-28T14:37:45.575-04:00Comments on 5 Acres & A Dream: Analyzing My Current Cleaners: How Greywater Friendly Are They?Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-89889875307974656212016-08-02T05:34:12.579-04:002016-08-02T05:34:12.579-04:00I read about using potassium hydroxide based soaps...I read about using potassium hydroxide based soaps for that reason, but hadn't thought about the other potassium based products! I should have,considering all the work I put into <i>How To Bake Without Baking Powder</i>. :) The rationale is that plants can utilize the potassium but not the sodium, which causes problems. Of course it's on my list to try wood ash soap! People prefer sodium hydroxide so they can make bar soap, but liquids are supposed to be better for greywater because of their neutral pH. Commercial liquid soaps all contain sodium lauryl (or lauryth) sulfate, however, so homemade would truly be best for using greywater on plants.Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-79826793981098148572016-08-02T02:40:18.890-04:002016-08-02T02:40:18.890-04:00On your homemade items, if you used potassium hydr...On your homemade items, if you used potassium hydroxide instead of sodium hydroxide (similarly for carbonate and bicarbonate), you could cut down on the sodium content there. The potassium versions are more expensive, but I'm not sure how much cost it would add to your recipes. (Or if it would affect the flavor of your toothpaste.)<br /><br />On the other hand, if you were making your own lye from wood ashes, it would be mainly potassium-based. :-)Jakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05302653400986920552noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-15316377542187073102016-08-01T21:27:58.831-04:002016-08-01T21:27:58.831-04:00I found it a bit discouraging as well. Lots of peo...I found it a bit discouraging as well. Lots of people are becoming more conscientious about the products they use, but the choices seem to be against us.Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-80809351484045589392016-08-01T19:20:09.643-04:002016-08-01T19:20:09.643-04:00Thanks for all your hard research. Interesting bu...Thanks for all your hard research. Interesting but also discouraging. Nancy <br />Cozy Thyme Cottagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03933769393226611441noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-9203805076521268032016-07-31T10:39:35.264-04:002016-07-31T10:39:35.264-04:00My goal is to keep it as simple as possible. (I tr...My goal is to keep it as simple as possible. (I try to keep everything as simple as possible ;) Considering how quickly greywater can become blackwater, we've already ruled out a holding tank because it would require filtering, which would require cleaning out the filters, which is more work! LOL. I figure if I can decrease the amounts of unwanteds that go down the drain, that will help considerably, especially sodium, since my soil is already too high in that. The research is really helping, and I hope others find it useful too. Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-32876213474510868422016-07-31T10:26:42.024-04:002016-07-31T10:26:42.024-04:00Some of the issue is about how much product(s) is ...Some of the issue is about how much product(s) is being used with each use, how often, and total for the household per day/week/month/year. If your grey water is going straight to plants, then the plants need to be tolerant varieties. If you're using a holding tank with a nozzle & hose, then you have the option of spreading that use around to trees, shrubs, non-edible plants elsewhere. Love that you're researching all this. Keep posting about it! Thank you!Kathyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15546089573271029499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-46699373913986902212016-07-31T05:50:25.492-04:002016-07-31T05:50:25.492-04:00I like simple ingredients for homemade soaps too. ...I like simple ingredients for homemade soaps too. They can get really expensive to make when all those fancy oils are added. I don't even mind a plain lard soap, although it suds less without the coconut oil. I've found coconut oil for a good price at Big Lots, which is great because I use it as my only cooking oil (liquid). <br /><br />That's an excellent price for your homemade laundry powder, you must get your washing soda and borax pretty cheap.Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-30658603893386248792016-07-30T23:11:47.865-04:002016-07-30T23:11:47.865-04:00I make my own soap to put in my homemade laundry p...I make my own soap to put in my homemade laundry powder, and it works great. I started doing this because I can't stand all the fragrances and other "stuff" in the commercial soaps. I worked out the cost and my laundry powder is about $0.03 per load, which is a great bonus.<br /><br />I also make my own bath/facial soap, and it works great too. Love that it's fragrance-free and cheap cheap cheap. My favorite bath bar is just coconut oil and lard. Plain and simple.Suehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11706897871184267996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-24057549988563694702016-07-30T21:21:46.998-04:002016-07-30T21:21:46.998-04:00I've seen Jason's products from time to ti...I've seen Jason's products from time to time, so I'll have to look around. The others I haven't heard of, but I like your E & C idea for a face cream. I have made some of my own too, but do like Burt's Bees products. Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-14858343412722283982016-07-30T21:19:55.927-04:002016-07-30T21:19:55.927-04:00Any soap or detergent will cut grease and since P&...Any soap or detergent will cut grease and since P&G donates all that Dawn to the marine wildlife center, of course they'll use it, it's free. And P&G get the tax write off and a trendy advertising slogan. Can you tell I'm not impressed, LOL<br /><br />I used to use Dr. Bronner's peppermint liquid soap all the time. I haven't been able to find it locally however. I have thought about making my own castile soap with olive oil, but thinking is as far as I've gotten on that one. Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-74881124716504058362016-07-30T21:15:40.833-04:002016-07-30T21:15:40.833-04:00We aren't ready to do the bed so no, I haven&#...We aren't ready to do the bed so no, I haven't researched plants for it yet. One challenge is that it is in pretty dense shade. Would love to have date palms(!) but I doubt they'd like our cold winter very much. Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-59891435237519379882016-07-30T18:35:07.196-04:002016-07-30T18:35:07.196-04:00Leigh,
I know it's not cost savings but for ye...Leigh,<br />I know it's not cost savings but for years I've used only Jason shampoo's of different varieties and all natural deodorants, Schmidt's and one from etsy called Kokomo cream. Both work well. I did not have good luck with the salt stones. It gave me a horrible rash. Like you I have very dry skin. Vit E oil and Vit.C cream mixed together make a wonderful nourishing face cream. We use a lot of vinegar for general cleaningTheresahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09574936988046982209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-75342357550172760132016-07-30T18:17:55.994-04:002016-07-30T18:17:55.994-04:00Dawn's claims about being "safe for wildl...Dawn's claims about being "safe for wildlife" are based mostly on their being extremely effective for cleaning crude oil off oil-slicked wildlife and rinsing off cleaning. It's also reasonably cheap, which is huge for wildlife rehabbers, who do not have big budgets. As far being safe in the way you are thinking, for plants, soil, and maybe even ingesting if any stays on plants, I would have serious doubts. Have you ever run into Dr. Bronner's "Magic" Soaps? They're Castile soaps, vegetable-based, and depending on how much you dilute them (which can quite a cost savings) can be used for everything from washing your face and hair to your dishes. "Dr." Bronner was a religious nut, which makes the labels hilarious reading, but he and his descendants make great soap. I'm a huge fan because since I began using it - just because I liked the lavender scent, not because I was expecting great things - my psoriasis has completely cleared up and has never returned. I suspect because it is one of the few soaps out there with no petroleum products.Amandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15236941724022074678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-4617795946530257122016-07-30T15:06:00.938-04:002016-07-30T15:06:00.938-04:00Have you thought about salt-tolerant plants in and...Have you thought about salt-tolerant plants in and around the first stage of your greywater wetlands? There's plenty (even edibles!) where I live in the desert southwest, many are hardy to well below freezing, and are drought-tolerant/low-water-needs as well. I was recently reading a book on native Egyptian plants that discussed how Date palms were sometimes irrigated with brackish water and almost fell out of my chair.Bryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04034014734083579048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-43715574790242525362016-07-30T14:28:49.432-04:002016-07-30T14:28:49.432-04:00Yes, I'm becoming aware of the aluminum issue ...Yes, I'm becoming aware of the aluminum issue as I do this research. Funny, but I wasn't actually looking at that; it's just been a useful by-product of my current research. In the US, there isn't even an official acceptance that aluminum is carcenogenic. US products are allowed to contain "acceptable" amounts. Very little is advertised as aluminum free. Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-30277708849833031832016-07-30T14:23:26.601-04:002016-07-30T14:23:26.601-04:00I have been looking for them, but I can't find...I have been looking for them, but I can't find them locally. I understand they can be used for DIY shampoo too. Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-80141769592080308052016-07-30T14:22:44.380-04:002016-07-30T14:22:44.380-04:00I you think this one is over thought, wait till yo...I you think this one is over thought, wait till you read my next one, LOL.Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-70310629088009473942016-07-30T14:00:59.734-04:002016-07-30T14:00:59.734-04:00just a quick note on the mineral deodorant you'...just a quick note on the mineral deodorant you're using: there has been a heated debate over in germany, that aluminium in deodorants (usually the mineral in those "natural alum" sticks) is supposed to cause breast cancer. as soon as that hit the news, companies started to produce their stuff without alum, so that you can often find a brand name in two variants, with and without alum (funnily enough that doesn't seem to matter over here in ireland, because I haven't seen one of the aluminiumfree products over here so far!). and I agree that it seems very difficult to live a life free of cleaning chemicals of some kind - I couldn't even make most of them myself, because I wouldn't be able to find the ingredients for this. for shampoo though you could use soapwort leaves (or roots):) Stefanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13585678210760195232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-29364938376058579832016-07-30T13:19:57.748-04:002016-07-30T13:19:57.748-04:00You might look into soap nuts for laundry washing....You might look into soap nuts for laundry washing.Recycled Cottage & Gardenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13209720538924091082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-80902675076159699052016-07-30T12:22:24.894-04:002016-07-30T12:22:24.894-04:00Wow, have you over thought this! Wow, have you over thought this! Tewshoozhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02564577459982968771noreply@blogger.com