Inspired by the "Tide" thread..Adios large corporations..post your cottage industry faves:

[JanMichael]

I'll start:

Laundry Soap: Charlies. One tablespoon per load; no fabric softener in dryer.

http://www.charliesoap.com/products.asp

Shampoo-- bars-- no weird ingredients; no conditioner needed. Wife also uses "perfume" from here:

http://www.prairielandherbs.com/

[niyad]

1. k & r

my two cleaning products--baking soda and vinegar. seriously allergic to chemicals as I am, and seriously caring for the environment, these are all you really need.

[leftchick]

2. Kirk's Castile Soaps

http://www.kirksnatural.com/faqs.html

I get them at Harris Teeter. :)

[JanMichael]

6. OK, dumb question:

and probably too personal, but do you use that soap in the shower, or just for hand soap?

[leftchick]

10. not dumb at all

both! I am not into body washes, I like plain old soap.

[tuvor]

3. I use olive oil soap instead of shaving cream.

Best to buy the soap at a store that specializes in Greek imports, that sort of thing. Less than two dollars for a huge bar.

Great for regular bathing, too, of course.

[silverweb]

4. Dr. Bonner's and 7th Generation.

Between the two, every need is covered.

[JanMichael]

7. Love Dr. Bonners!

7th Gen is so expensive; we have looked at it many times, but usually pass it up!

[silverweb]

9. True.

7th Gen is expensive, unfortunately, but I live alone and it lasts a long time.

For laundry detergent, Arm & Hammer is my next choice.

[Elwood P Dowd]

5. I purchased a 50-pound bag of brown rice from these folks recently.

http://store.honeyvillegrain.com/longgrainbrownrice50lb.aspx

Cost was $61.99, and shipping from them is only $4.49 no matter how much
you buy. Paid with PayPal, and the rice arrived in less than a week.

[JanMichael]

8. Excellent!

I will look into that, thanks!

[eridani]

11. How are you storing it?

To keep the fats from going rancid before you use it, I mean.

[Elwood P Dowd]

15. It will be good for close to a year stored in a freezer

but will only last 6 months stored at room temperature. At least that's what I was told by someone. Three people can go through that much or more in a year's time.

[1]

12. 50lbs? wow! that's got to be like 500lbs of cooked rice or somesuch, right?

how long will that last you?

*just a question as a fan!*

[fishnfla]

13. buy local as much as you can

cottage industry may be just down the road.

Large corps will give way to local business. Your money means jobs for your friends

[Native]

14. Annie Berthold-Bond's book "Better Basics for the Home" is great - lots of recipes to make your own

cleaning solutions. I especially like the glass cleaner, and I love being able to use my own essential oils to change out the fragrance - cinnamon one week, lavender the next, etc... A lot of these oils are natural antiseptics, so their purpose is two-fold. I used to use 7th Gen for my dishwasher, but with my new machine, it doesn't work as well. I switched to Ecover (the tabs) and it works great. It isn't cheap, so I'm getting ready to try Biokleen's product, which is much more economical. I can no longer afford to use the 7th Gen stuff for my laundry, but I've found that the liquid Arm & Hammer Essentials (no fragrance, etc.) does an excellent job in my He front loader, even though it's not a High Efficiency detergent. I also throw in a 1/2 cup of borax with each load - that helps to keep the mold smell at bay (a real problem in these front loaders). I'll also put in a few drops of an essential oil (lavender for sheets & towels, patchouli for clothes) into the detergent as well. As for stainless steel refrigerators, dishwashers, and ovens - nothing beats baby oil. I tried just about every natural & unnatural stainless cleaner, and they all were gross. I wipe down my appliances with a slightly soapy, wet rag, dry them, and then polish them with the baby oil - you need to use a regular rag, not a paper towel. Speaking of paper towels, I can't wait to try the Euro Cloths (sponge cloth) by Twist. Their natural loofah kitchen sponges are awesome (regular white sponge on one side, and loofah on the other). Found them at Whole Foods, and now I'm hooked. www.twistclean.com

Also, Annie now has a lot of her info available at www.care2.com
- just click on the "healthy & green living" tab and then type in either Annie B. Bond or whatever you're looking for (glass cleaner, non-toxic cleaners, etc.) into the search box (not the Google box up top, but the one on the left side of the page).