DIY Dishwasher Detergent

"What are you making now?" 
That's what my husband says when something weird arrives in the mail. This time, it was citric acid from Amazon.com for my homemade dishwasher detergent. Don't worry, the rest of the ingredients can be found at the grocery store.


I'm on a mission to kick toxic household cleaners to the curb. There are plenty of natural products on the market (like Seventh Generation & Method), but they can be pricey. I like going natural and saving money at the same time. I also need natural products that work, and this stuff actually does!

I always load up our dishwasher as much as possible (to save water & energy) and start it right before I go to bed. This morning at around 5:45, thanks to Flynn, I awoke to squeaky clean dishes with no lingering toxic residue. Sing it with me... the best part of waking up, is no Disodium Decyl phenyl Ether Disulfonate in your cup! 


I used DIY Natural's recipe and they even do a cost breakdown. I love me a cost breakdown. I once did one with homemade iced coffee v. Starbucks, and it seriously makes Starbucks look like a bunch of con artists. I won't lie, their convenient drive-thru occasionally wins me over...

[5 cents per load!]

An empty couscous container made the perfect storage solution for my detergent, and I added a pinch of rice to prevent clumping. 1 tablespoon of detergent is all you need for a load of dishes, plus a few tablespoons of white vinegar poured in the rinse aid compartment to give everything a spot-free finish.

My husband used to think I was loony tunes for wanting to make my own cleaning products, but now the nerd in him thinks it's pretty cool. Yay for science.

Have you ever made any cleaning products? If so, did they work like you expected?

My Baby's Got a Secret (Part 1)

For the past 3 months, we’ve been supplementing Flynn’s diet with formula. We’ve told friends, family & even our pediatrician that we’re using Earth’s Best commercial powdered formula. It’s not a lie, because we do use it occasionally. However, the majority of the time we give him homemade formula made from raw cow’s milk. Or, as I see it, fresh milk from healthy & happy cows.

We've been keeping it hush hush because many people think raw milk is unsafe for adults, let alone infants. But you know what? I’m tired of keeping it a secret. I want people to know that there is something available besides powdered infant formula with questionable ingredients (see articles about that here & here).

I’m sure you’ve heard terrible things about raw milk. The USDA & FDA have entire web pages dedicated to educating brainwashing consumers about the dangers of it. The National Dairy Council wants you to fear raw milk because they represent the interests of large, factory farms that produce pasteurized milk and don't like competition. Raw milk has also been in the news recently because retail sales are actually illegal in some states and the government is cracking down on local farmers who distribute it. (It’s 100% legal in Pennsylvania, so don’t worry, we’re not breaking any laws.) 

First, let’s clear up a few things and talk about how raw milk compares to conventional milk. When I say "conventional milk," I mean pretty much any pasteurized, homogenized milk that comes from a grocery store. Organic milk is a small step up, but it's still pasteurized, homogenized and receives very little oversight from the government agency that slaps the "organic" seal on it.

According to the USDA, raw milk is milk that has not been pasteurized. Pasteurization is designed to kill bacteria, such as E. coli, Listeria & Salmonella. The process of pasteurization also extends the shelf life of milk. However, if you look at factory farming practices in the U.S. and how conventional milk is produced, it makes complete sense that pasteurization is necessary to prevent pathogens from making people sick. Conventional milk comes from sick cows that are treated inhumanly.

Factory farm dairy cows:

-          Live in concrete & steel environments

-          Receive zero time at pasture

-          Are artificially bred

-          Are fed unnatural feeds like soy, cotton seed & corn

-          Are given feeds that contain GMO’s (genetically modified organisms that have never been tested for safety on humans, but have given lab animals cancer)

-          Live surrounded by piles of their own manure (E. coli, anyone?)

-          Have a short life span

-          Receive artificial growth hormones to help them produce more milk

-          Receive antibiotics to keep them from getting sick (most factory farm dairy cows have extremely painful mastitis from over milking)

[Typical Factory Farm]

It’s no wonder that this kind of milk has to be pasteurized. If it weren't, there would be serious bacterial outbreaks.

However, when you buy fresh, raw milk from a small dairy farm, you aren’t getting milk from sick cows.

Organic, fresh, raw milk cows:

-          Roam freely at pasture

-          Are fed natural feeds that they would choose in nature

-          Are never given feeds that contain soy or GMO’s

-          Are naturally bull bred

-          Live over four times longer than factory farm cows

-          Never receive hormones or antibiotics

-          Do not live in piles of manure, because they  have access to pasture

-          Are raised on small family farms that give consumers full access to tour, take photographs & review safety testing procedures

 (Source)

[Pasture-raised cows]

For more information, I recommend checking out the Weston A. Price Foundation website. They've started A Campaign for Real Milk to dispel the myths of raw milk dangers and to promote pasture-fed, unprocessed, full-fat milk. If you want to locate raw milk near you, click here.

I feel very lucky to live in a state that allows healthy, fresh milk to be sold retail. Before starting Flynn on the homemade raw milk formula, we had to decide which farm we’d get the milk from. Turns out we had quite a few options! Ultimately, we chose Camphill Village Kimberton Hills. They sell their dairy products through Kimberton Whole Foods and they receive high marks from The Cornucopia Institute who grades small dairy farms on criteria like how much information they disclose to the public, the health of their herd and if antibiotics & hormones are used. 

Camphill Village Kimberton Hills is a farm and also a unique community for adults with special needs. Not only do the residents have the opportunity to live interdependently, but they also work the land. How cool is that? They help to produce dairy products, run a CSA, bakery, café and do craft work like weaving, woodworking & pottery. We are planning a trip to the farm for their annual Hootnanny on July 14^th. It’ll be pretty neat to see where our milk comes from!

Stay tuned...

In Part 2, I’ll discuss why pasteurization & homogenization aren’t all that great, and why the lactose intolerant (like me) have no problems with raw milk.

In Part 3, I’ll tell you all the details about Flynn’s homemade formula: what else is in it, and how we make it!

How we do it: Making & Storing Baby Food

I always slightly dread the next stage in Flynn’s development because:

1) I fear change 

2) I like routines and 

3) I feel like if I have anything else to accomplish in one day, my brain is going to have a nuclear meltdown.

But then once that stage arrives, and I accommodate it for a few days, it’s no big deal. Two months ago, I was not looking forward to Flynn eating solids. I mean, I was excited to have him try new foods, but I had the nursing/bottle routine down and now I’d have to deal with baby food, also?! Ahh! But like all the other stages that have come and gone, it’s really not a big deal at all.

In fact, it’s pretty fun to make baby food. And did I mention it’s SUPER easy? Especially since their diet consists of one ingredient purees to start. Peel it & mash it. Steam it & blend it. Roast it & puree it. 2 steps! Maybe 3 if you include washing & cutting up produce. And buying it. OKAY 4, but let’s not get too technical…

[There is a newer version available here]

This book has been my go-to source for the recipes I’ve made so far, but it’s mainly inspirational because once you make a few of them, you’re like, “Wait, I needed a book for this?” That’s how simple it is. Pick pretty much any fruit or vegetable; decide how to make it soft enough to be pureed and just do that. Want pear puree? Core pears & cut into quarters. Steam until soft (7-9 min), remove skins and toss flesh into a food processor or blender. 30 seconds later, boom, done. Want apple/carrot/sweet potato/pea/green bean puree? Do virtually the same thing. Cook until soft, puree.

The recipes get more complex for older babies and start to incorporate multiple ingredients and spices, but you’ll already be a pro because you started out with one-ingredient meals.

In my opinion, the hardest part was figuring out how to store the food so that it was also easy to transport to my Mom’s house (Flynn's "day care"). There are lots of baby food storage containers on the market but I just went with ice cube trays that I already owned. They're probably not BPA-free, but I'm only using them for a short period of time & I'm not heating them up, so I couldn't justify buying special trays.

Helpful Tip

1 cube = 1 oz. (or 2 tablespoons)

Every other week, I make 2 different purees (usually a fruit for breakfast, to eat alone or to mix with the Earth’s Best baby oatmeal he so loves, and a veggie for lunch). I fill up my ice cube trays with the purees and pop them in the freezer overnight. Then, I dump out the cubes and put 2 cubes each in plastic snack baggies. Everything is pre-portioned and ready to bring to my Mom’s house along with Flynn’s milk for the day. I can’t tell you how convenient it is to just grab a bag of this and a bag of that from the freezer in the morning. It keeps me slightly more sane.

To thaw, either put the cubes in a bowl and let them soften slowly in the fridge or give them a 30 second zap in the microwave and stir, stir, stir to get it all to the same baby-friendly temperature. If necessary, add a little water/breast milk/formula to thin out the puree. To thicken a puree (like pears, which tend to be watery) I add a little oatmeal.

[Flynn's first avocado experience]

There are foods baby’s love that don’t need to be cooked at all, like bananas & avocados. Flynn loves mashed avocado with a pinch of salt, and we often mix in banana with his oatmeal.

Learn from my mistake: When I first made apple puree for Flynn, I used Granny Smith apples because that’s what I like to eat. You should have seen his face - it was like I gave him a sour apple blow pop. Oops! A little cinnamon warmed him up to it though.

As far as baby-proof dinnerware is concerned, I haven’t bought any yet. My sis-in-law gave me a bunch of Gerber baby spoons, and I serve Flynn his food in small, ceramic ramekins. When he starts feeding himself, I’ll obviously need some kind of unbreakable bowls and plates that are BPA-free/Phthalate-free/Latex-free/PVC-free made of rainbows & sunshine. My mom has this cute bowl for feeding Flynn and she loves it because you can just mash & mix whatever you want right in the bowl and serve.

There are lots of pre-made baby foods available, but the freshest and most cost-effective way to feed your baby is to get in the kitchen and make your own. If you're an ingredient control-freak like me, it’s the best way to go.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t completely object to pre-made baby food. It definitely has it's perks! During our summer vacation in July, I say bring on the convenience of organic fruit in a pouch & disposable diapers! Everyone needs a break once in a while.

[Asparagus. Not a fan.]

What were your baby's favorite first foods? Do you have your own baby food making/storing routine? 

Baby Powder & Wipes (DIY style)

There is one smell I've hated for years. The smell of babies. Well, baby products to be exact. I'm sure a plain old baby smells delightful (especially if it's your own) but the smell of traditional baby powder & wipes makes me gag.

After 2 weeks or so of disposables, we're switching over to cloth diapers. I'll spare you from a long-winded rant... just know that I think they're awesome and I'm super psyched to use them! So since we're going to cloth diaper, we're also going to use cloth wipes. Everything goes into the laundry and gets re-used. It just makes sense to use both together.

Since the wipes don't come pre-moistened, I'll need a liquid solution to soak them with before cleaning baby's bum. Luckily, there's a DIY for that! (What isn't there a DIY for?)

Here is the recipe I'm going to use:

1 tablespoon almond, apricot, or other oil

1 tablespoon Dr. Bronner’s Liquid Castile Soap

2 drops tea tree oil (a natural anti-bacterial)

1 drop lavender oil

1 cup water

Mix everything together and store in either a spray or squirt bottle. I like the idea of repurposing a dish detergent bottle because it's *free* and the spout on the top would be easier to use than squeezing a spray bottle trigger 20 times.

They do make cloth wipe warmers, but we're going to forego that for the sake of keeping things simple.

Another little known fact is that you can't use diaper rash ointment with cloth diapers because it interferes with the absorption. However, it's not a big deal because cloth diapered babies get less diaper rash to begin with because of the breathable, natural cloth fibers. The people at FuzziBunz recommend airing out your baby's tush for a minute or so between diaper changes and using baby powder to protect skin from moisture.

According to my Mom (the DIY queen), the best baby powder comes from the grocery store and you may have heard of it. It's called cornstarch! Yep, plain old cornstarch. I picked up a box in the baking aisle for a whopping $1.18. Johnson & Johnson try to sell their "special" cornstarch baby powder for $5. I'm not falling for it.

I bought these cute shakers from Amazon.com to store my cornstarch in (2 for $9). They're really for parmesan cheese, but I hear they dispense the perfect amount of baby powder during diaper changes. I'll be sure to label them so I don't douse my pasta with the wrong stuff.

Of course, we'll be using regular wipes & disposable diapers occasionally, during outtings and for the first few weeks when I'm not up for doing a load of laundry every day. I'm not totally hardcore... yet.