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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How to Make Orange Essential Oil from Orange Peels!~

It’s clementine season! I snatched a box up the first minute I saw them in the grocery store and raced home. Love eating them... save the orange peels!!

How to Make Orange Essential Oil

You will need

Orange peels

Grain alcohol or vodka* (a cheap grocery store brand vodka is perfect for this project)

Tray, cookie sheet, or towel

Knife or food processor (the food processor/chopper is easier!)

Coffee filters

Two jars, one should have a tight fitting lid

Make it

1. Eat a bunch of oranges, clementines, or mandarins and save the peels. Yum, yum, yum!
2. Lay the peels on the cookie sheet, tray or towel and let them air dry (do not put them in a dehydrator or you will lose the oil!) until the peels are rock hard. It took my peels about one week to dry.
3. Use the food process/chopper/knife to cut the dry peels into small bits. Do not over process the peels in the food processor/chopper until they are mushy or you will lose the oil in the peel.
4. Add the chopped peels to the jar with the tight fitting lid and cover the peels in grain alcohol or vodka.
5. Shake the jar to release the oil several times a day for several days. The longer you let the peels steep the more orange oil you will extract. I let mine sit in a sorta sunny spot on my kitchen counter for a weekend. 

6. Use a coffee filter to strain liquid from the orange peels and into the second jar.
7. Place a clean coffee filter or cloth on top of the jar of liquid. Allow the alcohol to evaporate from the jar. I let mine sit for one week.

My orange essential oil after one week.

8. Optional: I had sediment in the bottom of my jar of orange oil after one week. It isn't going to hurt anything. I had an extra disposable coffee filters that I know I wouldn't use for coffee ( I use a reusable gold coffee filter. It's supposed to make better coffee.) I strained the orange oil again with a clean coffee filter into an amber jar (a re-purposed yeast jar.) A dark colored jar will keep sunlight from degrading the essential oil.

The disposable filters came with a new coffeemaker. 

9. What you have left is a jar of orange essential oil!