Early last summer I was searching for ways to save money and get rid of some the pollutants in my home. In my search of the world wide web, I kept coming across homemade laundry detergent. I have to say, I wasn't really convinced that it would do the job. But I desperate... with summer we had swimming, sprinklers, going fishing, and TONS of laundry to go with it. Not to mention, my 3 little nieces were staying with us, and one of them was potty training.
I bought the cheapest detergent I could that still worked well, but I would buy a bottle and turn around twice and it was gone! So I thought, what the heck, what do I got to lose! The price of ingredients was amazingly cheap! I already had 3 bars of ivory soap, (only a buck at wal-mart), and baking soda. So I just had to buy borax (about $5), and washing soda ($3 to $4). And I had enough to make a double batch plus extra from those.
The first batch I made was dry, and honestly, I wasn't impressed. The grated soap didn't dissolve, so the clothes didn't seem that clean. My husband works at a grain elevator and the dust is so deeply embedded in his clothes, that it really takes a lot to get it out. And the clothes just didn't smell that good. And, I used too much soap per load, so it didn't go very far.
But I am, if nothing else, tenacious! So back to the world wide web I went! I found similar stories to what I was experiencing and new recipes for LIQUID detergent! Yay! Actually, this site - http://tipnut.com/10-homemade-laundry-soap-detergent-recipes/ lists ten top laundry recipes. I printed them out, put them in clear page protectors and begin experimenting. I've tried a couple of them, but I really loved the first one. I keep going back to it, and now I've been experimenting with different brands of bar soap.
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| Last time I used Yardley brand soap and Loved the smell! |
I made a single batch and it lasted from Nov. 20th to Jan. 10th. Let me note here that there are 6 people in my family, including 2 little girls that love to play dress up. I easily do 1 to 2 loads of laundry per day, 5 days a week. I have saved so much money by making my own soap. I also switched out my softener with white vinegar - just put it in the Downy ball at the beginning of the cycle.
No, my clothes don't smell like they used to, all perfumy and nice. But they do smell clean, and we no longer have itchy patches on our skin, we don't run out of soap at the end of the month and have the clothes pile up, and we save approximately $25 a month. That is about $300 A YEAR!!!! Each month I buy $10 worth of ingredients, and rotate which ones I buy. So I always have enough of everything to make another batch.
So, here is me - making my detergent!
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| 2 cups or bars of bar soap, grated |
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| Pour into 1 quart boiling water |
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Stir over medium heat until all melted. I sometimes use a whisk to break up the big pieces. |
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| Pour into bucket when all melted. |
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2 cups borax |
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| 2 Cups Washing Soda |
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| Add Borax and Washing Soda to melted soap. Add 2 gallons of water and stir well. |
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| This is how much it made! |
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| I always put the date on the lid. |
Making the detergent only takes about 20 minutes. A lot less time than it took for me to post this! Happy Detergent Making!
