Child & Personal Care Resources

Posted on 2022-02-15

DIAPERS

Buying Pre-Made Cloth Diapers

Homemade Diapers

Homemade Soakers & Diaper Covers

In an emergency!

BABY FOOD

Making Your Own Baby Food

Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding Products To Buy

PERSONAL CARE

For Menstrual Periods

YouTube (I Tried Using an 18th-Century Menstruation “Pad”. Instructions start at 14:00)
Cloth Pad Making Without Stitching in Just 2 Minutes Using Socks or Leggings – YouTube
Homemade Cloth Pads Tutorial and Pattern – LittleHouseLiving website
How To Make Your Own Menstrual Pads in Five Minutes – Abundance on a Dime Blog

Bathroom Necessities

Tooth Care

Lotions & Creams

Lip Balm

Deodorant

Soap

LAUNDRY/WASHING

How to Make Washing Soda From Baking Soda

If you cannot find washing soda in your area and don’t want to place an online order, you can make your own by slowly heating baking soda. Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate NaHCO3) is plentiful and inexpensive. By heating baking soda you will release the carbon dioxide and water molecules, leaving you with dry sodium carbonate or washing soda.

Place about 2 cups of baking soda in a shallow baking dish or on a shallow baking sheet. Working in smaller quantities is easier to monitor and control.
Place the dish in a 400 degrees Fahrenheit oven for one hour.
Stir the baking soda and smooth back out to an even layer.
Bake an additional hour at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Allow the baking soda (now washing soda) to cool completely. It will look more yellow and be much more coarse in texture.
Store in an airtight container.
Label the container and store out of reach of children and pets.

Laundry Soap Recipe

One can make a year’s worth of laundry soap for a large family for well under $10. This recipe requires a bar of Fels-Naptha (heavy duty) or Zote soap (general laundry use). Both are available for around a dollar at Walmart, many farm-and-fleet stores, and many grocery stores in the laundry aisle. You will also need a box of Washing Soda (NOT baking soda; costs about $4 at Walmart), a box of Borax (also about $4 at Walmart) and a bucket that holds at least 2 gallons. A lid for the bucket would be helpful.

Here are the directions:

Take 1/3 of the bar of Fels-Naptha soap and grate it with a cheese grater. Put it in a pan with 4-6 cups of water.
Heat it and gently stir it until the soap is dissolved. Do not boil or simmer.
Once the soap is dissolved, add 1/2 cup of Washing Soda and 1/2 cup of Borax to the pan. Stir until dissolved.
Next, add about a gallon of hot (not boiling) water to your bucket.
Then pour in the hot soap/Borax/Washing-Soda mixture, and stir.
Add more hot water to the bucket until you have a total of 2 gallons.
Stir well, put the lid on the bucket, and then let the mixture sit for 24 hours (during which time the mixture will sort of “gel”; stir it a few times during the 24 hours, if possible).
When it is ready, you use it just like any other liquid laundry soap. Use about 1/4 cup per load.

WATER FILTERING

Buying Water Filters

DIY Water Filters

In an Emergency!

Making Water Safe in an Emergency | Water, Sanitation, & Hygiene-related Emergencies & and Outbreaks | Healthy Water | CDC

Homemade Well Pump

Mother Earth News DIY PVC manual well pump

3 Comments

Jen Byrd on 2022-02-16 at 6:16 am

Wow, so much good information to sift through!

At a glance, I can say I have been brushing my teeth with baking soda only for years and years now after learning the potential dangers of fluoride and making my own deodorant with arrowroot and baking powders after discovering the hazards of aluminum and other toxins in store brands. I’ve been oil pulling since learning about the art of Eastern Ayurvedic Medicine in school over ten years ago. I shocked my dentist with the improvement of my gum health between two closely scheduled appointments by oil pulling. As as a new graduate, he claimed he knew nothing about this and later became a dedicated user of the is oral hygiene technique. Some learned pro tips – Swish around in your mouth a tablespoon of pure coconut oil for no less than 5 minutes and no more than 20 minutes routinely. Do not swallow the oil that is now bacteria laden. Spit out the oil in the garbage, so as not to clog plumbing and brush you teeth afterwards to refresh your mouth, teeth and gums.

I can’t wait to read more and add some new improved healthy and frugal alternatives to my routine activities of daily living.
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- 4Freedom47 on 2022-02-16 at 11:39 pm
  
  Great to hear your experience with oil pulling and the added tips! I’ve done it in the past, but have fallen away from the practice…I should start up again. Do you have a favorite recipe for making your toothpaste or deodorant? Or were the links above pretty close to what you do?
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Jen Byrd on 2022-02-18 at 4:19 am

Thank you. 4Freedom47. Oil pulling is a godsend for me since I am behind on my dental appointments. I refuse to mask and gave up the fight. It is a good practice for healthy gums and to fight plaque. At best, I will pull twice a week for 18 minutes each time. I prefer sesame oil, yet coconut oil is a better bargain.

The deodorant powder is equal parts arrowroot powder and baking soda. In the glass decanter I keep it in, I mix one cup of each powder with a tablespoon of cinnamon for a fresh scent.
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