Barefootin, That is a great idea for those jugs. My Mom has made a few of those but her's are watering jugs. She doesn;t cut anything. She pokes lots of mini holes through the lid and she paints the whole thing or none--but she glues cutout pictures of flowers (from Birds and Blooms magazine, etc.) on them and clear spray coats them. When my nephew visits her in the summer he uses them to water her garden. Also, here's another tip about cleanup after digging in the dirt---before starting get some bar soap and scrape some into your fingernails. After you've finished gardening the soap is already there and you probably don't have as much dirt UNDER your nails to clean--just soap. It works good for those mechanics out there. Love, Jules

I just keep the flame of the candle somewhat near the milk jug when I first stab it. It seems to kill most of the odor that bursts out of slightly swollen jugs. If I'm doing one or two I may not bother, but if I'm doing several it really cuts down on the odor in the kitchen. I'm intrigued that some are not using soap. Prior to learning about WS I was not only washing my containers for cuttings, but also soaking them in 10% bleach solution. It was a real leap of faith for me to eliminate the bleach soak on everything, but it did indeed prove unnecessary. I'll probably continue with hot soapy water simply because I've been preparing containers all year long, bagging them in large trash sacks and hanging from the attic rafters. Letting the smell dissipate (sp?) naturally in the attic would probably not be cool. However, on containers that are "fresh" I may just take another leap of faith and rinse well.

I made one posted by liz ga back in a thread from 2009, here it is(you can easily cut this down to 1/2 this): The Recipe 1/3 bar Fels Naptha 1/2 cup washing soda 1/2 cup borax powder ~You will also need a small bucket, about 2 gallon size~ Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan. Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket. Now add your soap mixture and stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. You use 1/2 cup per load.

Here's the recipe I've been using for about three years...I get all my ingredients at our local Krogers...I also add a bottle of oil of essence I find at Hobby Lobby or Michaels...otherwise it has virtually no smell! I also picked up an empty pool chemical bucket last summer at a garage sale for 50cents...it's a little over 6 gallons and I can triple the recipe... Laundry Soap You will need 3 basic ingredients; a soap of some sort, washing soda and borax. The Soap: The most typical type of soap to use is Fels Naptha. It is an old-fashioned type of soap usually found in the laundry aisle. The other options for soap are Ivory or another brand called, Zote. Any of these will work. I use my own homemade soap and find it works quite well. If you use Ivory or your own homemade soap you will need to use the whole bar. Washing Soda: This is not to be confused with baking soda. They are not the same thing. Washing soda is sodium carbonate or soda ash (baking soda is sodium bicarbonate). It is a white powder. Its purpose is to help remove dirt and orders. The brand to look for is Arm & Hammer Washing Soda. I find it in the laundry section of my grocery store. Many people have a hard time finding this locally. I know you can purchase it on-line, even through Amazon.com. I would also suggest asking your grocery store manager if it would be possible for the store to get it for you. Borax: Borax is a naturally occurring mineral: Sodium Borate. It is a white powder. ItÂs purpose is as a laundry whitener and deodorizer. The brand to look for is 20 Mule Team. It comes in a 76 oz. box. You should be able to locate this in the laundry detergent aisle. Again as with the washing soda, if you cannot find it ask you store manager or look online. The Recipe 1/3 bar Fels Naptha or other type of soap, as listed above ½ cup washing soda ½ cup borax powder ~You will also need a small bucket, about 2 gallon size~ Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan. Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket. Now add your soap mixture and stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. You use ½ cup per load. Optional: If you want your soap to have some sort of scent you can scent this with ½ to 1 oz. of essential oil or fragrance oil of your choice. My favorite scent is orange essential oil.