30 Days to Better Preparedness. Day 27. The bathroom and laundry pantry.
I decided to merge these two areas as we are running out of days!
We have covered our kitchen pantry and freezer,
Animal pantry,
Medical pantry.
Today we are going to look at our bathroom and laundry supplies. I am lucky to have a good sized cabinet in the bathroom plus under the vanity as well. I keep a bunch of baskets with categories such as toothpaste and tooth brushes, floss, shampoos, conditioners, hair dressing stuff, soaps, razors and so on.
On top of my cupboard I have two huge baskets. Up there I keep pads and tampons (which I don't need but I keep them anyway in case certain other individuals might!) back up supplies of cotton buds, wipes, toilet paper etc. I also have a high cupboard in the spare room which is full of toilet paper.
I am also lucky to have a good sized laundry. I try and keep a year ahead on laundry detergent, cleaning items etc. For this I have a shelving system. This means that I never pay full price for anything I just buy a lot when I see a fantastic deal. I am addicted to the Aldi stain spray it cleans anything.
I also make a lot of my laundry detergent. You can store INGREDIENTS to make your own and be set for at least a couple of years.
I keep on hand Velvet soap bars, Pink Zote (LOVE), Sard wonder soap, Lectric soda, Borax, Methylated Spirits, Lux Flakes (in US Ivory Flakes), Eucalyptus oil. Lavender oil. I also save bottles.
You can find the laundry liquid recipe here. In this post you can also find the link to a beautiful Wool Wash recipe. I make that up and it lasts me years. This smells so divine it is one of the best things ever to make!
You can also easily make Miracle Cleaner. This will clean most of your home and make it smell beautiful at the same time. Our basic ingredients to keep on hand will make you a supply that will also last years! The recipe is here.
I keep a big old stock pot and several wooden spoons just for my soap making projects. I like to make all kinds of soaps. But if you are intimidated to make soap then making cleaners and laundry liquid is a great place to start. If you love certain scents you can use essential oils to make any scented soaps you want!
Cleaning cloths are not something you need to buy and if you recycle worn linens etc. I LOVE having nice stacks of cleaning cloths and kitchen towels ready to use.
So assess your supplies in all the areas of cleaning and personal hygiene. Consider stocking the ingredients to make your supplies as they are small to store, last a long time and could be just such a lifesaver if there were shortages.
Cleanliness is a basic we take a bit for granted but I know soap was one of the top most valued items during the war years. To smell good, to have fresh linens and towels, to wash your hair, clean your teeth and have clean clothes... these are the things that make us feel human and good.
This all has put me in the mood to make up some laundry soap and I have a lot of empty bottles! xxx
I found myself nodding as I read through this post. The laundry and bathroom were on my mind today. I cleaned out both the bathroom vanity and the laundry cupboard . My goal was to give both areas a good clean, make space for when our son and his family move in, and to see what areas need work. I realised that the soaps I made in January 2020 are getting low and it is time to make some new soaps. I went through my box of moulds and found a memaid tail and clam shell mould as well as dinosaurs. By the time the little girls arrive the soaps will have cured for long enough. Shampoo bars will also need to be made. Six of these bars last a full year. I checked and made sure I had plenty of soap making supplies. Soap making could be on tomorrows 'to do' list.
ReplyDeleteI use the laundry liquid, the same recipe as yours, as my stain remover. I just put some neat on the stain, give it a good rub in, and let it sit for about twenty minutes. The item then goes into the washing machine. I have good success with this.
I recently updated my mop. I stupidly purchased a plastic one. I will be purchasing a wooden handle and a hairy mop head as these work the best on my fully tiled house. A spare mop head or two will go in the laundry cupboard. Once purchased my bathroom and laundry supplies will be ready for the next twelve months.
Dear Jane,
DeleteI cant wait to see these new soaps! The girls will go crazy for mermaid tails and clam shells. I have not tried the shampoo bars yet. I want to try. These would make good gifts too.
This has me wanting to have a soap making week! Many thanks, love Annabel.xxx
Annabel, I store a lot of the same items, especially laundry detergent and TP, but I'm not nearly as organized as you are. And, if I took pictures, they definitely would not be tied up in pink ribbons, LOL.
ReplyDeleteThank you for publishing the Miracle Cleaner/Spray recipe. I know I picked it up on an Aussie blog--either yours or Wendy Gower's. I am totally sold on Miracle Spray and so is everyone else I've introduced to it! I have a friend who cleans for a living and won't use anything else in bathrooms! (Except on glass and especially mirrors--it is too sudsy and smears a bit because of the eucalyptus oil). On everything else, it is fab! I converted the ingredients from metric to US measurements--
MIRACLE SPRAY
1 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons washing soda (Arm & Hammer; find in laundry aisle)
Additional 5-1/2 cups water
1-1/3 cups white vinegar
1/4 cup dish detergent (I use Dawn)
5 teaspoons eucalyptus oil
Dissolve washing soda in boiling water. Add remaining water and vinegar. Gently stir in dish detergent (wipe measuring cup with your finger to get it all out), then eucalyptus oil. Decant into spray bottles.
The combination of vinegar and eucalyptus oil smells divine. Also, some of your readers may not be familiar with the dessert spoon measurement. I looked it up online--it is 2 teaspoons.
Thanks so much Maxine. That is so handy. I really think this makes the house smell so good and fresh. I probably need to top up my supply of Eucalyptus oil. xxx
DeleteYour second to last paragraph sums this post up for me, I think. Feeling human is so important in tough times. Humanity is so often lost in a crisis. Good advice as always Annabel.
ReplyDeleteMimi I always think this when feeling unwell. Being able to have a warm shower,wash my hair and rub in lotion before getting back into a made bed with fresh sheets goes a long way to helpling me feel good again.
DeleteThanks so much Mimi! I am like Mandy when things have been dreadful, sick, in hospital, whatever... when you get to wash your hair, bath and clean linen oh you feel soo much better. Like a miracle!
DeleteSo beautiful! You even make cleaning lovely!
ReplyDelete💕 Hope all is well.
Much love,
Patti from San Diego
Thank you Patti. We are lucky to be out on the farm. I hope you are doing well too! xxx
DeleteThank You Annabel,
DeleteI wish I was on a farm.💕I left a long comment just now over on feather your nest
Post. I am still believing for a safe new home without all the mold that has made me sick.
I believe Kristi has give up because I am still sick and she is tired. Please pray for our relationship I love her.The last few years have been hard. It is my hope to move out of this moldy sick building together but not sure if that will happen. She is getting sick from the mold now 😪 but does not want to move because rent is cheep. I can rent a place in my own because I get a few hun dollars a month social security. Please pray that she would realise that the house is not healthy and it is what is making her blood tests not normal. Annabel she is seeing a hemotalagis(blood doctor) She is also having a migraine everyday and anxiety from the mold. How are Lucy's migraine going? I hope they figured it out. Please pray God would restore our relationship and that when she moves out she would take me too. She tells me I have been sick for too long. It makes me sad 😢Annabel please don't print this comment I struggled if I should share. What is your email? Ps. Please don't share this with Kristi.
I know it has been hard for her
Patti, If you see this please email me. brinkzi21@hotmail.com. Sorry I published this and only just realised... xxx
DeleteBelieve it or not but sanitary pads are great to have on hand if someone gets injured. They are clean and absorbent, so should the wound be traumatic you can place it over it and then bandage tightly to stop haemorrhaging and give you time to get to medical help!
ReplyDeleteIf you wet them and apply to a large burn and then bandage them you will also help whilst getting to help and save your skin. Disposable nappies work even better as they have a gel in them to hold the water. You can then put ice over the top of the bandage and it will cool the burn.
We use glad wrap to cover burns because it keeps it from drying out and allows us to keep it clean and visible until we get more specialist care
Dear Janine, We have had cause to use pads medically so when we did I stocked up heaps more after that. You are right, because they are sealed they are sanitary. Very useful.
DeleteI did not think of nappies... yes they hold a lot of water! Good tip thank you.
Burns are the most dreadful injury and so painful they scare me to death. Many thanks, love Annabel.xxx
All good advice and information Annabel, I think now is most probably a good time to have back up plans to resource items for all our needs...........homemade coming into it's own.
ReplyDeleteYou have been an encouragement to me to start writing a blog diary of encouragement for Christians and those seeking God through this time of trial and tribulation.....always remember Jesus has overcome the world and the battle is already won by the Lord.
God Bless,
Kim
Dear Kim,
DeleteI would be pleased if you would share your new blog address with us. I think all hope, help and encouragement it needed. We have an opportunity as there is so much gloom and desperation but God gives us hope. Plus we know how it turns out in the end! With love and thanks, Annabel.xxx
Yes, yes, and yes to all of this! I am so glad we have kept up with restocking everything since there are so many gaps and limits in the stores right now. In our guest bath I keep all the things stocked and tell guest that anything in the drawers are for their use. I have everything from feminine products to toothbrushes to hair dryers and feel so good that I can supply all those things that may be wanted.
ReplyDeleteLana I think all these necessary items would even make good gifts and barter items in tough times. Certainly would be very appreciated. I keep a lot of soaps and they smell so good in my linen cupboard and in drawers around the house. I have kids toothbrushes too. And such things dont take up much space at all either! xxx
DeleteThank you for this! This entire series has been a blessing. I love how you tackle each area with such precision. I am well stocked in these areas at times, then depleted when it is busy.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the converted recipe, Max!
Blessings to all!
Thank you Leslie. I am working on the last three posts. I feel like we have all been on a bit of a journey together through all this! xxx
DeleteThis is one area where I am doing almost as well as you! I keep both of these types of supplies in my large linen cupboard and like you I keep the various hygiene items in separate bins & baskets - makes it much easier to see when I'm running low. I try to only buy these items when they are on sale - and then I stock up. I'd say I have at least 6 months worth of everything right now - I even have extra makeup, like mascara stocked up (I have some issues with my eyes and switch out my mascara every couple of months).
ReplyDeleteI live in an old apt. building so I use the laundry room in the basement but again, I've got at least 6 months worth of laundry detergent. I have a lot of allergies so I use the formula for babies and my shampoos, deodorants etc. are all unscented. The one thing I'm a bit low on is bleach so that is on the list to purchase.
I have a few friends who will see these sorts of things on sale but only buy one (and it's not for a lack of funds) - I can never understand this - it's not as though it won't get used up eventually. I do not want to have to head to the shops in the middle of s snowstorm because I suddenly discover that I'm out of deodorant or shampoo!
Dear Margie, Good job! When there is a big sale this is when I strike too!
DeleteI also keep makeup. These things dont take up much room and also practical things like soap will always make a nice gift. You have great supplies and I think you are really wise. With love Annabel.xxx
Hi! I bought some cotton flannel for the purpose of making hankies and cleaning cloths. I wondered how big you made them, and which were hemmed? I'll definitely be on the lookout for flannel sheets from now on. I made some herbal wraps from a less than pretty flannel scrap recently. They're so easy to wrap around a hurting wrist or ankle, along with essential oils for pain relief. It takes a long, narrow strip of fabric, so that might be a good use for my scraps. I wouldn't use it on broken skin, but for joint pain, it works a treat!
ReplyDeleteYou have me wanting to make soap again! I usually make it in the fall, around this time of year for us. I like making shampoo bars, which we use for almost everything. I even stamp our initial into it using metal, wax seal stamps once the bars are semi-set. They make a pretty gift with the stamp on top.
I'm still working on a lot of the areas of preparedness, but this one, I think I'm ok. Last fall, I felt that prompting to go ahead and buy a box of borax each time I was at the store that carries it. That same store doesn't carry washing soda, so I would do the same with the washing soda. I stocked up on good laundry soap the same way, and realized I have several years worth of laundry and miracle cleaner. I was amazed at how quickly the one extra or one each trip added up, and have used that trick to stock up on other items as well.
Some of the areas, I'm learning a thing or two from my husband, who has spent a lot of time outdoors in rugged situations. He thinks it's kind of funny that I'm asking about alternate food preparation, and getting excited about camp cookwear, etc! I'm thankful that he has the knowledge to share, but also wanting to learn more myself to be helpful if/when needed.
Thank you for this series. Having the awareness that things are "off" and not knowing exactly what to do to prepare for the unknown can be a frustrating place. I deeply appreciate the fact that, while concerned, you keep working on the everyday needs, investing day by day into the future. Your example is such a blessing!
Stacy
Annabel, do you have your banana cake recipe here somewhere? I look forward to your posts; thank you for what you are doing.
ReplyDelete