So, you know I use tablecloths . . .

Organizing my linen closet

I inherited a large box of tablecloths when my parents passed away. These are cloths from my great grandparents, both sides of my family, as well as some of my grandmother's and mother's table linens.

There's everything from cloths large enough for a table set for 10 (our table only seats 8 at the max), down to tiny cocktail/beverage napkins (from the days of cocktail parties and bridge nights, I presume). There are doilies, lace placemats, and card-table toppers.

The other day I found myself motivated to organize the closet where all of these are stored. I pulled everything out and set myself to the task.

I sorted the linens according to size and item. Then I bagged them up, using those zippered, plastic bags that sheet sets and blankets come packaged in. I have just one shelf in a closet under the stairs to dedicate to linens. So, if I do this right, it all fits.

The extra large table cloths now have their own bag, and sit on the bottom of the stack, rarely used. The napkins are sorted into 3 smaller bags, the white monogrammed ones (both sides of the family had last names beginning with "M",  lucky me), the ecru machine-embroidered ones (wedding gifts when my husband and I got married), and the assorted patterned and odd ones.  Then there's the bag of medium sized table cloths, the bag of placemats, the bag of kitchen table cloths, and the bag of table toppers, squares, runners and dinner roll basket liners.

On the end of each bag is a list of the bag's contents. I include the number of the various types of napkins on these lists. As the trend seems to be to mix and match linens, I can quickly see if I have enough of any given color, pattern or design on the napkins for whatever holiday or event, to go with whatever cloth, runner, table topper combo that works on the table.

I didn't bother precisely measuring each table cloth, but simply stated on the label how many people could be accommodated at the table with that table cloth. For example, "seats 10", or "seats 6". In my own head, I know how many leaves/additions to make to the table for each cloth, with that notation.

I try to use these linens throughout the year, in place of buying any new linens, or paper napkins. When we've hosted large soup/bread gatherings, I've been able to dig into this stash of napkins for our guests, instead of buying paper napkins. I even have enough of those smaller beverage napkins to fill my small square napkin container, in place of buying paper beverage napkins for when a few friends are over. They don't all match, but that can be some of the charm of using heirloom linens.

I try to be careful with the oldest of these linens. But I've been known to take them outside for dinner al fresco. It's just such a nice touch, with no extra cost, to spread a tablecloth on the patio table and add a vase of flowers, for a dinner in the glow of the setting sun.

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A scavenged salad

Working in the garden the other day, I came across a patch of watercress coming up in the cracks of the walkway. I also found several wayward violets in bloom. Some people I know would have declared these "weeds". But my thought was, "oooh, salad!"

There was enough for all five of us. I drizzled individual plates with this rhubarb salad dressing.

Yum!

Do you forage? In our area, fiddlehead ferns are somewhat popular for scavenging. And I know of one lady who eats the dandelion greens from her yard. 

It wasn't all that long ago in history, that people foraged for food on a regular basis. While we need to be careful not to ingest anything poisonous, I do think it's silly to think that all of our food has to come from a store.

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Microwaving bars of soap, part 2: making liquid soaps for laundry and hand soap

(For part 1 on how to microwave a bar of soap, see yesterday's post )

For liquid soap

Liquid is my preferred form of soap for laundry and hand soap. It rapidly dissolves in cold water, hopefully getting down to the business of cleaning, faster. Plus there's no chance of any undissolved soap bits remaining on clothing, ever, even in cold water washes.

To make liquid soap:

After the inflated soap lump has cooled for 5 minutes, I break it apart by hand into small pieces, about the size of shooter marbles, into a stainless steel saucepan.

I cover with hot tap water, and bring to a boil on the stove. I stir constantly, breaking up any soap lumps as it comes to a boil. Once boiling, I reduce heat, and continue to stir until melted.

This takes about 5 minutes, total, compared to hours of stove-time to melt whole bars.

Once all is melted, I partially fill a 1-gallon, wide-mouthed container with cold water, about half full. I then pour the hot, melted soap into this cold water. Wide-mouthed container is key, as this is a scoopable, not pourable, soap.

I stir, and add more water to fill to the top, and stir again. Adding this extra water makes the soap more manageable for scooping into the washing machine. As the liquid soap cools, it will thicken substantially.

Using liquid laundry soap:
I use about 2 cups (or about 1/8th of the 1-gallon container) of this liquid soap per load. It's pretty gelatinous, so a sturdy scoop works well for me. After I add the laundry to the washing machine, I scoop this soap just under where the wash water comes into the machine. It dissolves in the first minute of agitation.

**slight derail -- Some folks don't like the gloppiness of this soap. You can microwave your soap before each load. It becomes pourable with heating. But that's too much work for me. I've got better things to do with my time, so I tolerate the gloppiness. I have read of some people using a mixer to "whip" the liquid soap. I haven't tried this, but reportedly, whipped, cooled liquid soap is easier to handle/measure for laundry. Again, I just don't have that much time. Maybe some day I'll give it a try.

Alternatively, a large pump dispenser (like what hair salons use for the large containers of conditioner and shampoo, or what a restaurant uses for condiments -- we're talking 1-gallon pump dispensers) would also make adding/measuring the liquid soap more manageable. A pump dispenser works well for my liquid hand soap.--  end derail**

I buy 3-packs of Dial "Basics" at Dollar Tree for $1, or often find it on sale at the supermarket for 88 cents/3-pack. So, my cost per load is about 4 cents, for just plain soap.

Adding vinegar makes a great rinse aid in laundry

With sensitive skin, in the process of healing from eczema, I find adding vinegar to the rinse compartment to be very helpful in removing any final traces of soap from laundry. Vinegar also keeps colors brighter, softens towels and reduces mildew smell (a bonus with bath towels). I use 3 to 4 tablespoons of vinegar per load, put in the rinse dispenser, to be released during the rinse cycle. 3 tablespoons of vinegar costs me about 3-4 cents per load.

Sensitive skin laundry products vs. my homemade soap/vinegar rinse

My total cost for sensitive skin laundry care is about 7 to 8 cents per load. Compare that to Dreft Baby Liquid detergent at over 30 cents per load, or Ivory Snow Gentle Care Laundry Detergent at about 50 cents per load.

Making hand soap for pump dispensers

I use the liquid form of this soap to make my own hand soap. I add enough water to give the liquid the right viscosity to pump from the dispenser. This is a trial and error process.

After the water has be mixed in, I add about 1 part of liquid dishwashing detergent (the kind for hand washing dishes) for 6 parts of liquid soap. This added detergent helps with cutting grease and oils, especially helpful in the kitchen.

Coloring and fragrance

I add liquid soap colorant (or food coloring) until the desired color, and essential oils for fragrance. This particular batch is lemon-mint leaf, starting with lemon dish detergent, and adding lemon essential oil and spearmint essential oil. It's a fresh fragrance that just smells clean.

Including the extra ingredients, 16 ounces of my own hand soap costs about 30 cents (compared to $1 for 7.5 ounces of commercial product). There's no additional plastic waste. And even with the dish detergent added, it's better for my skin than liquid hand soaps sold in stores. I can feel the difference.


The bonus to making my own liquid laundry soap is any time I run out of hand soap for the pumps, I have the soap in liquid form already, and can make up a batch of hand soap for refills, in just 3 minutes.

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