eHow.com Video: How to Make Eco-Friendly Washing Detergent With White Vinegar

Anjie Cho May 21, 2014

Most detergents are not eco-friendly or hypo-allergenic. Making your own washing detergent from white vinegar is an easy, healthy way to detoxify your home and support the environment

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Video Transcript:

I'm Anjie Cho and this is how to make eco-friendly washing detergent with white vinegar.

Sadly most conventional laundry washing detergents are not biodegradable. Most are petroleum based and they aggravate skin allergies. I'm here to share my favorite do-it-yourself recipe for an eco-friendly washing detergent.

You'll need a bar of natural Castile soap, washing soda, borax and your favorite essential oil. And of course white vinegar. First you grate the soap into small pieces. Avoid commercial soaps which are not eco-friendly. This is also a great way to use up those small left-over slivers of soap. To that, add one cup of washing soda. Washing soda is also known as soda ash or sodium carbonate. It's easy to find at your local grocery store.

Next add one cup of borax. Borax is a naturally occurring mineral. Also find this at the grocery store. Mix this all together with nine drops of your favorite essential oil. I love lavender or orange. These oils have a sweet and cheerful scent. You store it in an airtight container and you can use two to three tablespoons per load.

Now what about the white vinegar? White vinegar is a great all around natural, non-toxic cleaning alternative for everything from cleaning windows and counter tops to adding to your washing detergent. It's also a perfect alternative for bleach. Chlorine bleach isn't necessarily bad but it's very dangerous to have in your home around children. It's fatal if swallowed and caustic. It also pollutes and contaminates our water supply.

Instead of bleach use white vinegar in conjunction with your eco-friendly washing detergent by adding one cup to each lead and half a cup to the rinse cycle. The vinegar will boost the laundry detergent by fighting odors as well as whitening and brightening your laundry. It's a natural bleaching agent. In the rinse cycle it can replace our conventional fabric softener which is also terrible for the environment.

Making your own eco-friendly washing detergent is an excellent way to go green and create a healthy and non-toxic home.

by Anjie Cho

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eHow.com Video: Eco-Friendly Ways to Wash Your Clothes Without a Machine

Anjie Cho May 14, 2014

Washing clothing without a machine is an easy, inexpensive and wonderful way to save energy and extend the life of clothing.

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Video Transcript:

Hi. I'm Anjie Cho and this is the eco-friendly way to wash your clothes without a machine. Most of us use a washing machine and dryer to clean our clothing. Did you know that clothes will last longer and you can save energy by washing your clothes without a machine. It takes energy to heat up the water to wash and even more energy to dry the clothes in the dryer.

You'll need a large container or bucket or your sink. I have this laundry pod. It's convenient but by no means a requirement. If you're using a container or sink a washboard is also useful. They come in all sizes. You'll also need an eco-friendly biodegradable laundry detergent and a hanging rack or clothesline.

As you would with regular machine laundry separate your clothing into colors, darks and whites. Fill the container or sink with cool water. Remember warm or hot water uses up a lot of energy. At this point add some eco-friendly biodegradable laundry detergent. Let the detergent dissolve and agitate the water required. Then place the clothes in the container with soap and water and soak it for a few hours, overnight is best. This is a really important step for getting your clothes clean.

You can agitate the clothing periodically. My laundry pod has a crank to spin the clothes. You can also use a washing board at this time. After you soak the clothing drain the water and you can use this water to water your plants. Then you soak the clothing one more time in clean cool water. Again let it soak a few hours overnight, drain, use the water for plants. My laundry pod has a spinner so I can spin the water out. If you don't have this you can gently squeeze out any excess water. Hang dry the clothing on your laundry rack or outside on a clothesline.

Washing your clothes without a machine is a wonderful way to save energy, save the earth and even extend the life of your clothing.

by Anjie Cho

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eHow.com Video: Inspirational Wall Decor

Anjie Cho May 7, 2014

Inspirational Wall Decor is Beneficial, Positive and Easy to D-I-Y

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Video Transcript:

I'm Anjie Cho, and this is how to create inspirational wall decor.

In feng shui, I often suggest that my clients place some inspirational wall decor above their desk or located as one of the first things that you would see when coming into your home. To create your own inspirational wall decor you'll need a few things: a picture frame, your computer, a printer and some unique paper that you like.

First things first, select an inspirational quote of words. I've selected this quote from the writer Joseph Campbell, "Follow Your Bliss". There are websites out there that can help you create a word cloud like this. You can search online for word cloud and find a website that will help you generate one just like this. Select a quote you love or meaningful words to have on your inspirational wall art. Words have great impact on this.

So use your computer, print out your quote of words, put it on a nice paper that you like, open up the back of the frame, pop in the art, use tape if you need to and then you've created your own inspirational wall art.

It's so beneficial and positive to spend the time to make your own inspirational wall decor. Not only will it be personal to you it will motivate you to improve your life.

by Anjie Cho