Okay, so let’s talk sundries. I kind of like that word, don’t you? Sunnnndreeees. It’s one of those words that I never use in actual conversations…but I kind of think I might start. “Oh my, I do believe I’m running out of sundries. Perhaps I should order various and sundry items…”
Many of you have asked if I make my own soaps, etc and what kind I use. While I realize that making my own detergents and soaps would save a little money, it has not reached the top of my list yet…although it is on my list. Lindsay at Passionate Homemaking has several good recipes you may be interested in if you want to make your own laundry detergent and deodorant. I think it’s awesome, but I just haven’t made the time to figure it all out yet. With the exception of inventing my own dusting solution (one part water added to four parts old rag), I’ll continue at this point to purchase the brands of soaps and lotions that I trust.
I check the EWG website to see if a product is safe and non-toxic. Also, if it comes from Tropical Traditions…I completely trust it. Their products are always pure and safe.
All of the soaps and lotions I buy are unscented and without dyes. Our littlest guy, Malachi, can not tolerate any kind of scent or dye with his eczema and strong scents really irritate my asthma.
Here’s a list I came up with of sundries in my home:
- Laundry soap – I use Shaklee. It’s the ONLY detergent I found that does not make Malachi break out. I have family members who are Shaklee distributors who helped me finally find this detergent that works for us. You have no idea how thankful I am. It seems pricey…but I can make a box of detergent last a long time. I love that our clothes smell like…nothing. :) If it smells like nothing…that means CLEAN. I don’t use fabric softener. What’s a little static?I’ve been researching and may try using these soap nuts. They seem to be one of the most economical non-toxic “laundry detergent” around. My Shaklee costs about .25 per load of laundry. Soap nuts are at least half of that. I’ll let you know what comes of my experiment!
- Dish soap– For the past three years I’ve used Ecover. Love it. Love it. Love it. I use the lemon dish soap and the powdered dishwasher detergent. Love it. No spots on glasses. Clean, clean dishes. No fear of icky, toxic soap residue on our plates. Love it.
- Body soap – I love the Unscented Bar Coconut Soap from Tropical Traditions. I even use it to wash Malachi’s hair. Again, it leaves us smelling like nothing….which is clean. I LOVE smelling Malachi’s hair after a bath.
- Shampoo – The bigger boys and I use Giovanni 50:50 shampoo. I buy it by the gallon. The boys use such a small amount…the gallon lasts us a LONG time (well over a year). I’m the only one at our house who uses conditioner, and I use Giovanni Smooth as Silk. Matt uses Home Health Medicated Scalp Wash.
- Toothpaste – We’ve been using Creme de Peppermint from Nature’s Gate. I’m not a fan of fluoride. I suppose that’s another post for another day. We really like this toothpaste. The Creme de Mint is a little less spicy than the Peppermint, so we get the mint one for the boys.
- Lotion – We’ve fallen in love with the MadeOn Lotion Bar and use it exclusively, all the time. It is an amazing product and completely safe!
- Deodorant – My favorite is Tahitian Breeze Roll-On Deodorant from Pure Miessence.
- Chap stick – Again, Tropical Traditions. I pretty much wait until they’re offering free shipping, then I stock up on all the items I buy from them!
- Cleaning supplies – Besides my famous water-on-old-rag solution for dusting and wiping things down, I use Shaklee’s Basic H for almost all cleaning. That stuff is pure enough to drink (not recommending that) and does a great job of cleaning. It is SUPER inexpensive. A little bit goes a long way which means your bottle can last for years.
- Feminine products – Read this post to learn more about my preferences for “punctuation”.
What are your favorite sundries? Isn’t it fun to say sundries?
