They Will Conker
Natural and home-made
As an environmentalist and pagan I love to work with nature. One example of that occurs in the autumn every year, when I make laundry liquid out of conkers.
There are places near me where the paths are strewn with the beautiful, shiny things, which bring back memories of playing conkers as a child.
As with all times when we take something from nature, we only take some of what is on offer, and leave the rest for others and wildlife. It is also good to make an offering of your own in exchange: a bit of compost at the base of the tree or offering of water, or even just some kind words of thanks or a song. We give and take.
There are instructions for making conker laundry liquid here:
I use a much simpler method. I just chop up the conkers on a big chopping board while they are fresh and soft, then drop them into old bottles or jars, add water, and leave nature to do its work for a few weeks. I occasionally give them a gentle shake. Then I run the liquid through a sieve. Voila! Laundry liquid.
You have to use a bit more of this than you would a concentrated chemical product, but it works fine. The saponification chemicals in conkers do the same as any liquid soap.
In a similar way I keep old bits of soap or candles, and when I have enough I use them to make new soap bars or candles. There’s a joy in going back to simpler things and more natural ways.
Peace.
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Hey, thanks for that great laundry detergent making tip, Karl! I'll definitely give it a try.