I’ve been making my own laundry soap for years. I gave up store-bought detergent before eco-friendly options were on the market to cut the chemicals and give my sensitive skin a break.

While there are more options these days, I like that I know exactly what goes into my soap and it saves me money to make my own – a lot of money when compared to scent-free, dye-free, biodegradable, harsh-chemical-free detergent.

For the past year or so I mixed up my recipe and started using castile soap bars instead of Fels-Naptha. My clothes are just as clean, and my lungs are so much happier. My laundry soap now has even fewer ingredients and no longer includes things like unsustainably harvested palm products, talc, fragrance, and red 40.

Homemade castile laundry soap ingredients

1 castile soap bar (makes about 2 cups grated soap)
1 cup washing Soda
1 cup borax

You can make as much as you would like at a time. The basic recipe is 1/2 cup each of borax and washing soda per 1 cup of slightly packed grated soap. This isn’t baking, so you don’t have to be exact.

To make the soap, grate the bar with a fine cheese grater until you are left with what looks like a pile of tempting parmesan. (Or if you are awesome like my mom, pop it in your food processor with the grater attachment and be done in a minute.) Once you are done, measure out your soap and add the appropriate amount of borax and washing soda. Mix it together and you’re good to go!

Directions

Use 1 tablespoon per load for a front-loading washer and 2-3 tbs. for top-loading. I like to use a medicine cup to quickly measure.

Since the temperature has dropped and I’m unfortunately stuck with a less efficient washer, I have been dissolving my soap in a cup of hot water before adding it to my laundry. If you wash in cold water with a large top-loader, you might want to do the same to make sure that your soap is getting mixed in well.

Throughout the year I stockpile clothes I’d like to sell. Somehow I even end up collecting clothes from friends and family. When I finally can’t take it anymore, I bring the whole lot in and try to sell it all at once. Each time I reminded how to better sell my clothes.

10 tips for selling used clothes

1. Pay attention to season! Used clothing stores don’t want your winter clothes the first day of spring. This takes some planning ahead. Go through your clothes before the start of the season and sell then.

2. Quality matters. Unfortunately your cheap scores or pieces on the verge of falling apart aren’t going anywhere. Look for quality pieces that will last both when you are shopping and selling. Stores want used pieces that hold up and still look new.

3. Trends fill the shelves. I am not a trendy person. I rarely buy anything that would be considered trendy. Often when I bring in a bag full of basics the stores tell me they are looking for pieces that are in trend that second. If you do have something that’s currently popular in your closet that you aren’t sure of, sell it now!

4. Specialty shops are a great resource for items like prom dresses, designer pieces, and more expensive pieces. You will likely get a better price and have an easier time getting someone to take them. The only downside is that these places know exactly what they want, and your item might not fit their current needs.

5. Don’t be afraid of the garage sale. Sure, you have to lower your prices (and actually spend the time to sell them yourself), but you have a much greater chance of selling things off season and in bulk. Similarly, you an also do virtual version like a closet swap or Instagram sale with your online community.

6. Pay attention to what the store is selling. If it’s all summer dresses, your wool coat probably won’t be taken. Many used clothing stores have handouts of what they are looking for. You can also just call and ask if they don’t.

7. Be realistic. Every time I go to sell my clothes I imagine how much I’m going to get for them. I get giddy with the excitement of “getting money back” out of clothes I never wore or regretted purchasing. And it never works like that. It’s hard to remember that used clothes aren’t the same as buying new. And unless you are selling it directly on eBay, you are only getting a cut of the profits.

8. Form a relationship with a local shop. It’s much easier to sell things and get more for them when you know your local shop and they know you. They will start to know your style, how you treat your clothes, and that you are a loyal customer. Bonus, you might also get inside tips about new pieces hiding in their shelves that would be perfect for you.

9. In my experience, my local shops have offered me more per item and bought more of my stuff than any online used clothing store. The convenience of being able to just mail in my clothes and be done with it is great, but when they only end up buying a handful of pieces from the 30 you sent in, it’s frustrating.

10. If you’re willing to put in the work, eBay or other direct selling apps like Poshmark might be your best bet. I get much more per item when I sell them individually on eBay, but it takes far more time to take the pictures, set up the posting, and ship it afterwards.

Every year I feel like Christmas comes out of nowhere! Since I very strongly fear malls, I prefer not to buy things people don’t need, and my timing is terrible, I have gotten pretty good at last-minute homemade gift ideas.

Here are some of my favorites:

1. Cookies. Best “wrapped” in a cute jar or on a nice plate the recipient can reuse.

2. Jewelry. From friendship bracelets to trendy beads to macrame, these are my go-to.

3. Homemade hot chocolate mix. I’m a sucker for just about any food in a jar. (See also, dinner in a jar.)

4. Luxurious body butter.

5. A favorite, freezer-friendly meal. It’s hard to beat the thoughtfulness and enjoyment that comes from being able to heat up a quick, lovingly made meal in a pinch.

6. Candles. I made these last year and they were a big hit. I like unscented best, and they burn really well in a smaller jar.

7. Knit or crochet a scarf. The closer it is to Christmas, the bigger the needle/hook to finish in time.

8. A makeup bag or pouch.

9. A heat pack. Shamelessly on my wish-list for this year.

10. Custom bobby pins. Or these gemstone bobby pins.

11. Origami ornaments. I’m tempted to attempt to make these for myself… even though I don’t have a tree.

12. A modern tote.

13. Clever art! I wish I was this crafty.

14. An iPad stand. Gorgeous.

I recently moved into a place with hardwood floors. When I rolled up with my car full of my stuff, the house was dirty. I don’t mean lightly dusty, I mean clean-the-floor-three-times-before-the mop-comes-away-clean dirty. I made hardwood floor cleaner to make the task easier, and it was so great I ended up using it for everything from washing my walls to taking the residue from a sticker off a window.

Hello magic cleaner.

I used so much of it that I had to run out and buy more ingredients the first day.

The recipe is simple, inexpensive, and safe for real wood floors and every other surface that can be mopped or whipped.

Homemade hardwood floor cleaner recipe

1 cup water
1 cup vinegar
1 cup rubbing alcohol
2-3 drops castile or dish soap
5 drops of essential oil (optional)

Pour all of your ingredients into a spray bottle (or two if they are small), give it a gentle shake to incorporate, and have at it.

For best results, wet a microfiber cloth or mop head with hot water and wring out until it’s just damp. Lightly spray the floor every few feet to keep the mop moist and moving easily. A little goes a long way.

Looking for other great uses? Windows, counters, fridges, coffee tables, stubborn stickers… you can use it for just about anything. The only thing I don’t recommend is showering with it (or accidentally breathing it in deeply).

Handmade goods should be filled with love, not toxins. That’s why I wrote a piece for Rodale’s new magazine, Organic Life, on the best eco-friendly fabric options, what to look for, and where to find them.

Check the piece out and let me know what you think! What are your favorite eco-friendly fabrics for crafting?

When I buy clothes I buy them with the intention of wearing them for at least the next 5 years. I invest in pieces that will last and I get them tailored so I love the way they fit. So when an item returned from the dry cleaners completely stained, despite going in in perfect condition, it’s safe to say I was furious.

For the past few years I have either bought clothes that do not have to be dry cleaned or tried to find alternative ways to clean them myself to reduce the amount of dry cleaning I had. Not only is dry cleaning bad for the environment, it makes me nervous that they bathe my clothes in chemicals and then I wear them against my skin all day (especially since the chemicals are believed to be carcinogenic). But for delicate pieces that I was afraid to tackle on my own, I would get them cleaned. I clearly paid the price this time. My beautiful, tailored dress came back covered in blue stains and is no longer cream like it used to be.

So from now on, I will follow the incredible advice of The Laundress, and safely wash everything at home. And whatever they say I can’t wash won’t find it’s way into my closet. They have not once lead me astray and my clothes look great (and lets face it, who wants their clothes to be constantly costing them money to wear them? Cleaning them at home saves a lot of money!). I use regular bar soap (leftovers from hotel stays or a plain castile soap bar) and my homemade laundry soap to wash most items, but I did splurge for their nontoxic wool and cashmere wash as well as their stain brush.

Recently I washed my grimy, “dry clean only” peacoat and it came out looking new. Now I wash silk, wool, and just about everything else in my closet at home. The first wash is always a little scary (especially when my mom washed her “dry clean only” white patterned dress that has a deep purple lining), but not once have I had any failures.

I’m a huge fan of most sweet things and I love holiday baking. I like to give baked goods for gifts, but it can be a challenge to not only store and deliver the items without them going bad, but it’s also difficult to make sure it’s different every year.

In the past when I wanted to give a friend a few cookies it ended up looking more thoughtless than tasteful on a paper plate or tossed into whatever random plastic container I could find. But this year I will be giving holiday cookies in jars that can be reused. This year seems to be the year of the canning jar for myself and others, but they sure are versatile and stylish.