eco-friendly review #2: getting things clean

so, my first review is of my eco-friendly laundry detergent. y'all have heard me talk about this for quite some time. between the two of us we FINALLY used up the first batch, more or less. granted, there was a time in the interim when matt and I used up other laundry detergent that he had, but most of our laundry has been done using this stuff. however...

you'll notice that none of you have walked away in terror because our clothes were stinky, and I haven't been walking around with stains on my shirts, which is good too. I'm terribly clumsy and I spill things often, so this is kind of an accomplishment!

I really like how easy it is and that it seems to clean just fine. And that I don't have to worry about any allergic reactions!

I wish it foamed up (that's all mental, though) and I sometimes get annoyed 'cause I have to kind of stir it around to make sure I get soap AND the washing soda and all. I also think I'd like it better if I could find a tablespoon to store inside of the actual container.

Next time I'm making it with some Mrs. Meyers soap I picked up on clearance, and that should give it a faint scent that I think I'll enjoy (and won't irritate my nose!). If you want to try, you can find the recipe here or here. And if you feel like being fancy, go to your local farmers market or green store and pick up some soap!

Speaking of soap...I tried some Burt's Bees Fabulously Fresh Peppermint & Rosemary soap. It smells sooooooo refreshing and it gets me clean, and I appreciate that. I also reallyreally like it that it's local--their plant is quite literally about 3 miles or less from my office. Probably a lot less. I used to try to avoid them because they offered me such crappy pay for a job (50 cents more an hour than I was making as an intern my senior year!) but that was five years ago so it hasn't mattered for a while!

The soap is good, but it got an 8 for two reasons. One is the little chunky black things in the soap. maybe they're almond seed meal? I dunno what they're for, but I don't like how sometimes the soap level will make it so they're sticking out. And the other reason is a bit more, ahem, intimate. I would keep this soap away from any sensitive areas, as it tingles, and not necessarily in a pleasant way. At times it has left, for instance, my underarms or the delicate skin inbetween my toes feeling weird, and I'd just as soon have skipped that! But overall, highly recommended and WONDERFUL to use after, say, working out because it smells so good and refreshing!

ps: there was a ladybug on my car roof today before I left home. do say hello.