1. home and garden
2. laundry

C6 – NAPA VALLEY REGISTER
Saturday, March 8, 2014
Home & Garden
Making your own laundry detergent can be easy
Associated Press
It’s convenient to pick up
some laundry detergent at
the store, but it’s not difficult to create your own.
Soap and water are a
time-tested duo against
dirt and germs, and homemade cleaners can carry
away grime without added
chemicals or perfumes.
All it takes are a few, simple ingredients to make
laundry detergent — liquid
or powder — and fabric softener. Then cut down on
drying time and static cling
by tumbling wet clothes
with homemade dryer
balls.
Faith Goguen Rodgers’
switch to homemade cleaners began a few years ago
after she used a commercial-brand cleaner on the
bathtub.
“I’d cleaned it, and then I
really didn’t want to get in
it. The bleach smell and feel
— it didn’t feel good,” she
says.
“Then when I had kids, it
didn’t make sense at all. It
feels a lot safer knowing
what’s in my cleaners.”
Rodgers is an herbalist
with three young children
who creates all the cleaners
Calendar
From Page C5
director of “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless
Mind” and “The Science of
Sleep,” offers an animated
documentary on the life of
controversial MIT professor, philosopher, linguist,
anti-war activist and
political firebrand Noam
Chomsky. Through lively
conversations with Chomsky and illustrations by
Gondry himself, the film
reveals the life and work of
“the father of modern linguistics,”
while
also
exploring his theories on
the emergence of language.
$10. 7 p.m., Jarvis Conservatory, 1711 Main St., Napa.
Info, 255-5445.
VINTAGE
HIGH
SCHOOL
PRESENTS
‘FIDDLER ON THE ROOF’
— Vintage High School’s
production will help celebrate the 50th anniversary
of this classic American
musical. A cast of more
than 60 Vintage High
School students will perform vocal, dance and theatrical interpretations of
some of the musical’s most
cherished
characters.
Evening performances:
March 6, 7 and 8 at 7 p.m.
Afternoon
matinees:
March 8 and 9 at 2 p.m. $20
adults, $10 students and
children. NVUSD Auditorium, 2425 Jefferson St.,
Napa. Info, 299-2520.
NAPA
BALLROOM
DANCERS: LUCKY YOU
... DANCING THE NIGHT
AWAY — The Bob Gutierrez Band will play their
great variety of ballroom,
Latin, swing, and nightclub
music. Couples, singles,
beginning and experienced
dancers of all ages are welcome. Our emphasis is on
having fun, dancing and
socializing with fellow
dance enthusiasts at our
hardwood floor venue. Nohost bar at 7:30 p.m. $15.
7:30 p.m., Napa Senior
Activity Center, 1500 Jefferson St., Napa. Info, 2529239.
ANI DIFRANCO —
Though Ani DiFranco still
proudly identifies herself
as a folksinger, she has
melded soul, funk, jazz,
electronic music, and spoken word to create her own
sound over the course of
her 20 years in the music
business. $48. 8 p.m.,
Uptown Theatre, 1350
Third St., Napa. Info, 2590123.
RAY OBIEDO AND
MISTURA FINA — Guitarist/composer
Ray
Obiedo brings the Brazilian-Caribbean sound of
Mistura Fina, featuring
many of the top jazz players in the Bay Area, to
Silo’s. $20 advance, $25
door, $14 club members. 8
p.m., Silo’s, 530 Main St.,
Napa. Info, 251-5833.
Sherri Griffin of Orlando, Fla., calls her homemade laundry
detergent, fabric softener and dryer balls “a dream team.” “I
often hear that people can't give up the fresh smell that they
get from using dryer sheets, but what people don’t understand is that smell comes from … chemicals,” Griffin says. AP
she uses in her Lafayette,
Colo., home — even the
toothpaste. While the
health piece is “really big”
for her, she’s also motivated
by cost.
“You save a ton of money
making your own,” she
says, especially if you buy
ingredients in bulk.
Homemade
cleaners,
particularly laundry soap,
lack much odor, but a pretty scent can be added with
essential oils. This lifts the
laundry-detergent-making
project up a notch — adding
some olfactory fun.
“You and your family can
get creative and come up
with your own signature
laundry scent,” Rodgers
writes on The Little Herbal
blog, where she posts her
natural cleaning recipes.
“Our laundry comes out
clean and smelling fresh.”
Her favorite combinations of essential oils for
laundry detergent include
lemon and eucalyptus,
orange and geranium, and
9
Napa. Info, 944-5604.
VINTAGE
HIGH
SCHOOL MUSIC BOOSTERS BINGO — Doors open
at 2 p.m.; pregames start at
4:30 p.m.; regular games
start at 5:15. Prices vary.
$40 with turbo machine.
575 Third St. (enter on Silverado Trail), Napa. Info,
252-5420.
VINTAGE
HIGH
SCHOOL
PRESENTS
‘FIDDLER ON THE ROOF’
— Vintage High School’s
production will help celebrate the 50th anniversary
of this classic American
musical. A cast of more
than 60 Vintage High
School students will perform vocal, dance and theatrical interpretations of
some of the musical’s most
cherished
characters.
Afternoon matinee: March
9 at 2 p.m. $20 adults, $10
students and children.
NVUSD Auditorium, 2425
Jefferson St., Napa. Info,
299-2520.
VOICES RISING FEA TURING ‘REQUIEM’ BY
GABRIEL FAURÉ — The
Fauré “Requiem” is a
peaceful and comforting
mass in honor of Fauré’s
mother. It will be accompanied by a chamber
ensemble orchestrated by
Lloyd Pfautsch and Carlton
Young. Also on the pro-
Sunday
BREAKFAST
WITH
THE BUBBLE LADY — The
event includes a breakfast
of pancakes, sausages,
fruit, beverage and the
Bubble Lady Show. All proceeds
benefit
the
Yountville Youth Subsidy
Fund. $10. 9 a.m.,
Yountville
Community
Center, 6516 Washington
St., Yountville. Info, 9448712.
‘MOOD INDIGO’ — The
Alliance Française of Napa
and Cameo Cinema present Michel Gondry’s
“Mood Indigo,” starring
Romain
and
Audrey
Tautou. The film is an
adaptation of “Froth on the
Daydream,” written by
Boris Vian in 1947, and the
American edition, “Foam
of the Daze.” The film is in
French with English subtitles. $8. Noon, Cameo Cinema, 1340 Main St., St.
Helena. Info, 963-9779.
BENEFIT
AUCTION
AND WINE TASTING —
This silent auction, featuring fine art, wine tasting
and refreshments, benefits
Berkeley’s
Incarnation
Monastery Guest House
and Spiritual Center. $50. 2
p.m., 7131 Silverado Trail,
MANAGE THE WATER IN
AND AROUND YOUR HOME
Mosquitoes must have water in order to
complete their lifecycle. Buckets, barrels, cans,
bottles, wheelbarrows, tires, tubs, fish ponds
and anything that will hold water is a potential
mosquito-breeding source. Eliminate mosquito
breeding by emptying and turning over any
containers that can hold water. Chlorinate and run
the filter on spas and swimming pools. Pick up
free mosquito fish from your mosquito abatement
district for your fish pond or water garden.
grapefruit and lavender.
Sherri Griffin’s foray into
homemade laundry soap
began when she got a rash
and wanted something
gentler than store-bought
laundry detergent. She
started researching alternatives, and recommends
checking out what’s in
commercially made products on the Environmental
Working Group’s website.
An Orlando, Fla., nurse,
Griffin started a blog,
Overthrow Martha, to educate people about natural
cleaners. Besides sharing a
fabric softener recipe, she
recommends simple-tomake dryer balls. Dryer
balls decrease drying time,
eliminate static cling and
decrease wrinkles, she says.
Essential oils can be added
to them every few loads to
softly scent clothes.
“I often hear that people
can’t give up the fresh smell
they get from using dryer
sheets, but what people
don’t understand is that
smell comes from . chemicals,” says Griffin.
Karyn
Siegel-Maier
shares laundry and other
“green” cleaning formulas
in “The Naturally Clean
Home” (Storey, 2008). The
gram are works by Edward
Elgar, Ennio Morricone, Z.
Randall Stroope, Aaron
Copland, Kurt Bestor,
Tomás Luis de la Victoria,
and James McCray. $25. 4
p.m.,
First
United
Methodist Church, 625
Randolph St., Napa. Info,
341-6790.
SECOND
SUNDAY
SUPPERS — Each second
Sunday of the month will
feature a family style feast
created by chef Isaac
Coles. The March 9 menu
includes whole-roasted
sucking pig, asparagus and
ranch beans, and guests are
asked to bring a bottle of
their favorite wine to share
with the table. $49. 6 p.m.,
1313 Main, 1313 Main St.,
Napa. Info, 253-0868.
For a more extensive list
of upcoming events, visit
napavalleyregister.com
/calendar.
publisher recently posted extra large or heavily soiled
her recipes for liquid and loads.
powder laundry detergent
at its blog, Inside Storey, to
Griffin’s Wool
“sanitize, soften and scent
clothes and linens — natu- Dryer Balls
rally.”
100 percent wool yarn
Some recipes from these
Pantyhose
experts:
Essential oil (optional)
Directions:
Griffin’s Natural
1. Wrap wool yarn around
two or three fingers at least
Laundry Fabric
a dozen times, then make a
Softener
bow by wrapping yarn
3 cups white vinegar
1/4 cup rubbing alcohol tightly around middle of
20 drops of essential oil wrapped yarn. Bring the
(optional)
two sides together and conCombine all ingredients tinue wrapping tightly in
in a glass jar and shake. Add different directions to make
to the fabric softener dis- a small ball the size of a
penser
of
washing lemon. Repeat to make sevmachine.
eral balls.
2. Push the wool balls
Basic Laundry Liquid into
one pantyhose leg,
Formula from Siegel- knotting the pantyhose
Maier’s “The Naturally between each ball so they
don’t touch. Run through
Clean Home”
2 1/4 cups liquid castile the washer with a load of
towels on hot cycle, then
soap
1/4 cup white distilled toss into dryer on hot. Once
dry, remove from pantyvinegar
1 tablespoon glycerin
hose. Each ball should
3/4 cup water
appear “felted” — the wool
10 to 15 drops essential fibers tightly adhered. Snip
oil of your choice (or skip any loose strands.
the essential oils by using a
scented liquid castile soap)
To use
Combine all the ingredi1. Scent balls with essenents in a plastic container
tial
oil, if desired (it’ll last a
or squirt bottle. Shake once
few
loads).
or twice before adding to
2. Toss at least 2 balls into
the wash. Use 1/4 cup per
average load; 1/2 cup for dryer with wet laundry.
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AD COPY DEADLINE:
Monday, March 17
PUBLICATION DATE:
Thursday, March 27
One advertiser per category.
Meet with your Account Executive for open categories.
We are asking all residents to please check
their property for any standing water. If you
need assistance contact Napa County Mosquito
Abatement District.
IF YOU PREVENT MOSQUITOES BY
REMOVING STANDING WATER AND
ELIMINATING THEIR BREEDING
PLACES YOU WILL:
• Minimize the use of
pesticides
• Minimize the risk of
West Nile Virus and
other mosquito-borne
diseases
NAPA COUNTY
MOSQUITO ABATEMENT DISTRICT
707-553-9610 • www.napamosquito.org
For more information call
707.256.2228 or an Account
Executive will contact you.
Napa Valley
www.napavalleyregister.com