All-in-One Laundry Bombs

Laundry doesn't have to be a chore. Instead of lugging your detergent, stain stick, fabric softener, and your laundry to the washing machine, here's a homemade laundry bomb that does it all. You can pick up the basic ingredients at your local grocery store for a few dollars, making these little helpers seriously budget-friendly. Scent with your favorite essential oil for a personalized smell and you're ready to get washing.

What You'll Need:

• Small mixing bowl
• Grater
• 1 1/2 cup washing soda
• 1/2 cup Fels-Naptha
• 2 tablespoons Epsom salts
• 3 tablespoons hydrogen peroxide
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 15-20 drops essential oil
• Sheet pan
• Parchment paper
• Measuring spoons

Directions:

1. Grate the Fels-Naptha into the mixing bowl and add the washing soda and Epsom salts. Fels-Naptha is a laundry bar soap that does a great job of attacking stains and cleaning your laundry. The boost of all-natural washing soda softens water while washing clothes. And the Epsom salts cut down on static cling and also soften fabrics once clothes hit the dryer.

2. Now add the hydrogen peroxide and give things a stir. Hydrogen peroxide naturally whitens clothes and keeps your colors fresh. Stir in the vinegar, which busts through stains while leaving clothes soft. Then scent with several drops of your favorite essential oil.

3. Once everything's incorporated, the mixture should resemble wet sand and clump together when pressed. Cover a sheet pan with parchment paper and then use a rounded 1 tablespoon measuring spoon to scoop up the mixture, press against the side of bowl, then tap out onto the pan. Finish with a quick spritz of equal parts vinegar and water. Let set for eight hours before using.

4. Your laundry bombs are ready to toss in the washing machine! Use one round for small loads and two when washing lots of laundry. You'll love how they refresh your clothing without all the extra cleaners!

Makes around 28 laundry bombs.

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Making Bath Salts

Lavender Bath Salt Recipes

Want to try making bath salts? Having a warm, fragrant salt bath is a wonderful way to relax and soothe sore, tired muscles. These easy to make bath salts take only a few minutes to mix together, and can be dressed up nicely with a pretty ribbon to make a lovely homemade gift.

Lavender Walk

There is no single right way for making bath salts. The main ingredients are typically a mix of sea salt, Epsom salts, dead sea salts, baking soda , and essential oils.

Making Bath Salts:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sea salt
• 1 cup Epsom salts
• 2 tablespoons baking soda
• about 15 drops of essential oil of your choice (adjust accordingly to your preference. Be careful to avoid getting undiluted essential oils in contact with your skin as this may result in a skin reaction in some people)

Method: Mix together the salts in a metal or glass mixing bowl. Sift in the baking soda and stir with a metal spoon to combine. Add your essential oil of choice, and mix salts together thoroughly.
At this point you can also add dried flower petals or herbs (I like to use dried lavender or rose petals). Some people also like to add food coloring, which will result in a colored bath. If using liquid food dyes, just add a few drops until you achieve the desired color.
I like to store my bath salts in a glass jar as the salts tend to keep longer in glass than plastic. Store salts out of direct sunlight because it can degrade the essential oils. If you're making bath salts as a gift, consider packaging them as bath sachets.
Instructions for use:
Dissolve 1/2 cup of bath salts under running water, and lay back and relax! If you have used petals in your bath mixture, you may want to use plug strainer to prevent the petals from clogging up your bath.

Bath Salts Poems

One of our readers suggested that it would be nice to include a poem on a gift tag when making bath salts. So, I had a look around and came across these sweet poem at YWConnection:

Mother's Day is here at last.
This special day will go so fast.
We'll laugh and talk and eat and joke -
When the day is through have a quiet soak!
Love you MOM!!

Instead of mother's day you can substitute "Christmas Day" or "Your Birthday" or whatever. I also found another poem at Craft Elf that's specially for a Mom with a new baby:

This bottle is not for a baby
Instead it's my gift to you
So sprinkle these salts in the tub
And relax for a moment or two.

Replace "bottle" with "jar" or whatever type of container you are using to wrap the bath salts.