cleaners
When I grow up I want to be just like Barbara and Michael…
03/29/2009 15:31 Filed in: green people | Lucy
When I stepped inside the store I immediately thought, “This is the coolest place!” It really reminded me of the Brattleboro Coop but on a smaller scale. Someday (I hope a day that comes very soon), I believe 24 Carrots will grow to be just as big and great! Barbara and Michael are so warm and compassionate in their store, that anyone who walks into 24 Carrots feels like they are welcome. I like coming back to the store because they are so openly nice that you immediately get into a friendly relationship with them.
Barbara was so quick to jump on board to support GKT that she ordered 10 gallons of Green Keene Teens Laundry Soap from us on Wednesday—when we had just come by to give her a sample and say hello. We were hoping she would use the soap and spread the word. But she wanted to go further and provide a place to sell it!!! Barbara seems super excited about the club. She said, “Lucy, there are some people that just talk about doing things. You actually do them! You’re a do-er and that’s why I’m going to support you!” I couldn’t believe someone would be that quick to jump on the bandwagon without any persuasion. Barbara was so open to supporting us that I feel like she is a long lost aunt that wants her niece to do well. They have even put an ad in the Shopper News about our soap being sold at their store. And they’re talking to the newspaper about doing a bio on our club! I have to say, I’m the happiest girl in the world right now!
We chatted with both Michael and Barbara for a while and got on to the subject of our trip to Costa Rica. Michael lit up because he spent a year in Costa Rica after college and loved it. He wanted to know more about Punta Mona and where it was. After looking the website up really fast, he told us that the island is in the best and most beautiful region of the country. They want to be kept updated on the trip. I’m hoping they might want to chaperone??
I really encourage everyone to go and visit 24 Carrots. Buy what you can there. It is such an amazing place! They are open Tuesday-Saturday from10-7, Sunday from10-4, and closed on Mondays.
Check out their website here: http://www.24cfs.com/
Soap-Making
While we were making the trips back and forth to the barn, my Mom and Dad were heating water on the stove to bring it to a boil. At the same time I was washing the jugs to make sure that there wasn’t any milk scum inside. After the water had boiled they turned each burner off and mixed the ingredients together in the water. Then we added all the liquids together into a 5 gallon bucket and stirred them gently. Making sure not to make too many bubbles.
After we had finished making one batch we would fill the jugs full and place them on the dining room table to be labeled. Once we had finished filling the 29 jugs, Mina, Olivia and I sat down and started attaching the logos and information to the jugs, while the parents started to clean up the kitchen. This was the hardest part of the whole process because the labels and the contact paper didn’t stick well to the milk bottle. We ended up putting the contact paper all the way around the bottle so the labels would not get wet and they wouldn’t fall off.
In all it took 5 people about 4 hours to create 29 gallons of laundry soap. Today Emily and Laura went out with Mom and sold 10 jugs! Some people asked how it works on clothes, so it was a good thing we’ve been using it. We made extra jugs for each of the GKT members, so they can try it themselves. It cleans well, and the borax and washing soda are both whitening agents. Some people use borax with their regular detergent, instead of bleach. If you have a really dirty load, use a little more (just like you would with regular detergent).
Making all-purpose cleaner
You might be thinking ‘How is making cleaners better than buying them at the store?’ Yes, store bought cleaners are easy to get. But are they really the better choice? Homemade cleaners have less impact on the earth. You have to remember that before the cleaners you buy get to your store they have to be made in a factory, put into those nifty spray bottles that usually only get used once, then they have to be shipped to your store. Having all the things you need to make your cleaner already at home would save all that energy that gets used to make package, and ship the cleaners. Cleaners you make at home (like mine) may not be a completely environmental. I’m not sure how you classify things as 100% environmental because usually any cleaning product has to have something in it like phosphate that will clean well (which usually hurt the earth). But homemade cleaners don’t have any chemicals that are made in a lab. You make them yourself. Also there isn’t a need to keep buying new bottles with the new cleaner in it. You can use the same bottle over and over again. Which saves plastic. Homemade cleaners are definitely better for the earth than store bought cleaners.
The recipe I have been using is Alice’s Wonder All-Purpose Cleaner. If you want to check it out here is the link. Homemade cleaners work just as well as manufactured cleaners. You may have your doubts about them, but just because they don’t have that harsh chemical smell doesn’t mean they aren’t working. If you’re interested, but still not convinced, join us at a “cleaner-making party” sometime soon. Stay tuned for dates and times.
