Laundry Day!!!

Today is laundry day...

In the past I have always dreaded laundry day. Driving to the laundry mat, paying to wash clothes, waiting for them to wash, paying to dry, waiting for them to dry, then lugging them home to fold was just too much of a task! I hated it!!!

Now that we are living in Truckhouse and living on a limited budget, I wanted to find a way to do laundry that was not only cheaper, but more environmentally friendly as well. After a lot of search on the internet I found our new washer. It super simple and doesn't require anything except at least a 5 gallon bucket and a very tiny amount of laundry soap!

Today was our first day getting to use our new washer and it worked out perfectly! Here is how it works:

1) Get your bucket and Mobile Washer ready!

CHECK!

2) Fill the bucket with clothes, water and your detergent! (If you use the recommended 5 gallon bucket, it only takes 2 gallons of water and about 1teaspoon of laundry detergent)

CHECK!!!

3) Grab your washing machine and move it just like you would a plunger. It works by pushing and pulling water through the clothes, which according to the website, is a powerful cleaning action that will actually pull out residual detergent that is left by electric washers!

                              

CHECK!

4) Once you feel like you have "agitated" the clothes enough, you dump out all of the dirty water and refill the bucket with clean water. You then have to do the process over so you can make sure all of the detergent is out of the clothes!

CHECK!

5) Dump all of that water out and ring out the clothes and hang them to dry!!!

FINISHED! well, minus the whole folding and putting away stuff.

I have to say, this method of doing laundry is way more appealing to me than how we used to have to do it! This way clothes are getting very clean, we are saving water, using less detergent, I'm getting an arm workout and we dont use any electricity in the drying process!

This is also very wallet-friendly. I believe we paid about $27 for the washer, shipped. This thing will pay for itself after about 2 weeks of us using it. The laundry mats were expensive back home... now we don't have to worry about wasting gas getting there and I also dont have to worry about finding quarters!

You guys should all look into getting one! Eco-friendly, wallet-friendly and it gives you a workout! Also, who doesn't like the smell of your laundry after its been out drying in the sun all day? The list of pros can go on and on!!!

Have a great day everyone!

Love,

Megan, Heath and Taz!

You don't use shampoo!?

So, as we are preparing for our new adventure we are trying to simplify our lives as much as possible. We are doing the normal things such as: getting rid of clothes we don't wear, things we don't use or just don't need. My ideal goal would be getting down to 100 possessions or less! I read about the concept in a blog recently, and I have been thinking about ways to do it ever since.

One other way I have been working on simplifying my life is by not using shampoo or conditioner. As you all know, shampoo has so many chemicals in it that, lets just face it, aren't necessary. Not to mention, its expensive and most of time doesn't do what I want it to. I came across a great blog that outlines all of the harsh things that go into shampoo and some great advice for going 'poo free. Basically, you use baking soda mixed with water as your new shampoo! Baking soda is all natural and oh so cheap! I've been 'poo free for a little over a month now and I absolutely love it. Of course, it took a while for my hair to go through the "transition phase"  and was a little greasy for a bit. Fortunately, I now have even shorter hair and the baking soda shampoo is working great! I also use a little bit of apple cider vinegar (mixed with water) as a conditioner. I can't use too much of it because my hair is already a little on the greasy side. (Honey works as a great conditioner as well)

The next thing we are getting rid of is deodorant. I know what you must be thinking, "who in their right mind would get rid of deodorant". Well, if you have done any research on deodorant, you know that it's main ingredient is Aluminum zirconium trichlorohydrex. Yea, its a mouthful. Anyway, it has been linked to Alzheimers and other neurological diseases. There are plenty of deodorants out there that don't contain aluminum, but they are pretty pricey, and as you know, we are trying to start living as cheap as possible. So, we did some research and came across an article that baking soda and cornstarch can be used as a deodorant. We already have baking soda at the house, thanks to my no 'poo, so we were excited to find out that cornstarch is just as cheap! Heath is going to be the first one to test it out and I can't wait to see how well it works!

Do you have any cheap eco-friendly tips for us!? Send them our way!

Our adventure will start in approximately 5 months. I'm so excited, but getting nervous that there is so much to do! I know we will make it all work and it will be the best times of our lives. I can't wait to be on the open road with my love.