Organizing and decluttering the homestead

[Lazy Gardener]

One of the benefits of making my own laundry detergent is: there are no jugs to recycle. A single box of Borax, and Washing Soda will last for years. The wrapping for a bar of Fels Naptha is the only item that may not biodegrade.

 

[flowerbug]

One of the benefits of making my own laundry detergent is: there are no jugs to recycle. A single box of Borax, and Washing Soda will last for years. The wrapping for a bar of Fels Naptha is the only item that may not biodegrade.

we were doing that for a while here as the soaps all had way too much scent in them. i think we finally found a commercial brand we can tolerate but Mom still goes to extremes in rinsing to get the smell of it out. unscented detergents she didn't like. unfortunately we still use a lot of laundry detergent (20-50 loads a week seems to be the range). it comes in a plastic bag so that doesn't get recycled - the vinegar and bleach jugs do get recycled. Mom uses a lot of fabric in her quilting, whatever scraps are big enough or what she can't use she passes on to others but she still has a lot of seams and edges that can't be used.

 

[Hinotori]

I don't try to make homemade laundry detergent anymore. Too many bad reactions even when I double rinse and use vinegar. My skin is just too sensitive. I don't try other detergents either, just stick with what I know doesn't get me.

I have to be careful with bar soaps, too. My skin sucks.

I have experimented with the amount of detergent needed. It's not very much with my water. Mom uses even less since her water is naturally soft out of the ground.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

I do a double rinse, and use about 1/2 recommended amount.

 

[tortoise]

I have been cleaning my basement today! Was just going to be clearing off DH's workbench for a Valentine's Day gift for him. (He's the frugal one and complains if I buy him a gift he didn't pick out.) I got carried away and have nearly half the basement done. Filled the wood cart and stoked the furnace so he doesn't have to when he gets home from work. Plan is to paint kids' handprints on his workbench if we have time,

 

[flowerbug]

aww...

 

[Beekissed]

Today was epic, as my grandgirl , Aliza, would say. The farm dump that has been in evidence back in the woods for the past 25+ yrs was cleaned up today. That place had been bugging me ever since I moved back here with Mom, but even I added to it each time we cleaned out the shed and house, which didn't feel good at all.

Took two truckloads and a trailer load to the dump and have another truck and trailer load out in the driveway, waiting to go to the dump tomorrow. The only thing left back there are a few things we will actually use on the farm eventually~a few pieces of tin, an old garden hose, many push in stakes, odds and ends of metal pipe, a few old tires and a little bike that I'm going to steal the tires from and then put into Joel's trash.

I dragged a big 10 ft skid pallet loaded with sheets of ancient tin roofing and concrete blocks, from out of the weeds, back to that site so I can set up a pallet shed for storing these remaining items up off the ground and out of the weather. Will drag three more of these huge pallets back there to implement this storage solution, as well as two smaller ones as end caps. We'll still have junk storage, which is pretty much essential for any farm or homestead, but now it will be hung or stacked neatly in this shelter, easily accessed and safe for man and beast.

No more places for hens to hide and lay eggs that the wildlife eat....but the increase in brush piles from timbering will just fill that gap, so not a complete solution for that. But it will eliminate places for mosquitoes to breed, as all that junk held water in various receptacles.

I can't begin to tell you how good this makes me feel and I've been thanking God for this all day....for the beautiful weather, for Mom and son Eli's help, for a successful work day with no one getting injured...well...not freshly injured. I have a shoulder in a spasm and Eli's tricky knee is hurting him, but that's old stuff and not to be blamed on the work done today. All that broken glass, rusty wires and other rusty, jagged metal was just an accident waiting to happen but God kept us safe throughout. Hallelujah!!!!

Now we can safely run sheep in that paddock without any of them getting injured on anything. I'll be raking the whole site, burning old wood and leaves, then sifting the ashes for hardware and trashing that as well.

It's been a GOOD day!!! I LOVE work days like this....I'm tired, hurting, dirty... and completely and totally overjoyed!

 

[Hinotori]

Wow! Great job there Beekissed!

 

[Beekissed]

It was kind of fun, if you know what I mean. Aliza says, "If you ain't gettin' dirty, you ain't havin' fun!"

 

[tortoise]

Today was epic, as my grandgirl , Aliza, would say. The farm dump that has been in evidence back in the woods for the past 25+ yrs was cleaned up today. That place had been bugging me ever since I moved back here with Mom, but even I added to it each time we cleaned out the shed and house, which didn't feel good at all.

That's amazing! Congrats!