Is anyone else amazed at how much it costs just to keep your house and clothes clean these days? I mean, we have our dish cleaners and laundry cleaners and floor cleaners and sink cleaners and toilet cleaners and carpet cleaners and window cleaners, not to mention all the gadgets that go with them (mops, dusters, brushes, etc.). Up until a few months ago, I was probably spending somewhere between $250 and $300 a year on laundry care alone with detergent, fabric softener and dryer sheets.
But last winter, my friend Allison had a wonderful idea: homemade laundry detergent! She figured out that it cost her about 75 cents for 2 gallons. The idea intrigued me, but I didn't try it out right away -- I had a full bottle of detergent that I'd just bought and wanted to use it up first. Then when it ran out, I just didn't have the time that week to commit to making some myself (or so I thought), so I bought another big bottle. The next time I went to buy some, Meijer had raised the price on my favorite brand, and I was going to be paying 50 cents more for a bottle. By that time I'd had enough. It was time for me to give it a shot. So I bought the "ingredients" that Allison's recipe suggested, and took another baby step.
The recipe calls for a bar of Fels-Naptha laundry soap (*NOTE: I now use Castille soap. I found this next to other bar soaps and hand soaps in the household products portion of Meijer's grocery section.) It also calls for Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda and Borax, both of which are in the laundry section of the grocery store.
To make the detergent, you first grate 1/3 of the Fels-Naptha bar (saving the rest for other batches) into a large stainless steel or aluminum pot, like this: 
Then you add 6 cups of water and heat over moderate heat until the soap is dissolved. Next, add 1/2 cup of the super washing soda and 1/2 cup of Borax and cook for about 15 minutes, or until it's the consistency of honey.
Stir occasionally to keep the soap from sticking to the side of the pan. Smile and enjoy the lightly soapy scent wafting through your house!
Put the soap mixture into a bucket and add 5 1/2 quarts of water (that's 22 cups), and stir until well-blended. Here, I added a few drops of lavender extract for extra scent. Using a funnel, pour the mixture into a gallon jug or old laundry detergent bottle. It makes about 1 1/2 gallons of detergent, so I have to use two different bottles. Here, I used an old vinegar bottle (I'm sure I'll blog about my new love affair with vinegar sometime, as well):
When you do laundry, shake the bottle well, and use about 1/2 cup for a regular-sized load. As it turns out, it only took about 30 minutes to make, and my first batch lasted me 2 months! That batch did only cost about 75-80 cents, so it was definitely economically friendly. Plus, it reduces the waste going out of my house since the ingredients make so many batches (I've only used 1 cup each of the soda and Borax, so there's a lot left!) and I can reuse old laundry detergent bottles. Then the boxes from the soda and Borax can be recycled. I haven't researched yet as to the environmental-friendliness of the detergent itself, but both the Super Washing Soda and the Borax claim to be natural. And the Fels-Naptha soap is such an old product, I'm thinking it's probably not too processed. At the very least, I'm saving on containers by reducing, reusing, and recycling, while saving money at the same time! Double score!
For an extra bonus, you may be interested to know that we've been very happy with the performance of this detergent and have noticed that it possibly even cleans better than the stuff we were previously using (Purex Natural Elements). I've even formulated my own stain fighter using an old Spray'n'Wash spray bottle filled with a solution of the detergent and some more water (so it doesn't get stuck in the sprayer). So happy and so cheap!
So what kinds of things is your family doing to save money?
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Oh my goodness, you read my mind!! I was just thinking today as I was doing laundry and getting that last bit out of the detergent bottle how much it costs! I am going to try this and I have loads of old laundry bottles that I have piled up because I am too lazy to take them to recycling... :P
ReplyDeleteThat is excellent! We will be completely broke starting next year. And I am sure we will be doing this as well. GREAT money saver. I am looking forward to hearing aobut your love for vinegar! I refuse to buy more swiffer sweeper pads, when I have a broom. And mop pads when I have a mop! I am using misc cleaning products to do the toiltes untill all the fad clensers are gone. Then I am only going economical. If we get too many tomatoes, I am canning and freezing them. Squash too.
ReplyDeleteI'm all in... our Purex Natural Elements is almost out, as is the dye-free off-brand baby detergent and I was procrastinating buying more until every last drop was gone. My sister-in-law did this a few months ago and, like you, I was intrigued, but didn't get to it then. It's the perfect time in my life to do this - THANKS for reminding me of it!
ReplyDeleteAnd to answer your question about what we're doing... I recently cut our weekly grocery budget from way-too-high down to $40 a week by finding coupons and searching for deals on www.moneysavingmom.com and www.hip2save.com :)
hm.. wonder if I can figure out the equivalents for my HE front loader washer.. sounds like a worthwhile project in my near future.
ReplyDeleteAh! About HE washers: According to my research today (I got a similar question on Facebook), the big deal is that the detergent should NOT get all sudsy in the wash, as that triggers the sensors in the washer and messes with the water levels. As it turns out, this particular detergent doesn't suds at all! It looks all soapy in the pan, but once it's in all that water, no bubbles whatsoever. So, from what I figure at this point, it seems like it should do just fine in HE washers! If anyone out there has some conflicting info, please let me know.
ReplyDeleteCourt: Thanks so much for the websites! I'm so excited about them, and I've already RSSed the first one!
ReplyDeleteI have almost tried this several times, but then I read (OK, granted, it was in Wikipedia) that regular use as a laundry additive was not advised, due to an ingredient called Stoddard solvent. I do use Fels Naptha as an occasional stain remover. I have heard that you can make the laundry soap with Ivory bar soap instead of the Fels Naptha, but wonder how that works?
ReplyDeleteI also thought about trying this after hearing Allison talk about it and just haven't done it yet. Thanks for the inspiration to go ahead and give it a try. I was wondering where you found the lavender extract you added to it.
ReplyDeleteOk, so I've done a little more research on what's actually IN the three ingredients, and here ya'll go:
ReplyDelete1) Fels-Naptha: This is the trickiest one to pin down, which makes me a little suspicious. I didn't find anything about Stoddard solvent, but the F-N package says it contains "Cleaners, soil & stain removers, chelating agents, colorants, perfume. CONTAINS NO NAPHTHALENE." Apparently, it's been used for over 100 years for poison ivy and bug bite relief and general household cleaning. It has been known to be a skin irritant, but I have pretty sensitive skin and have had no problems whatsoever. People all over the internet have suggested that a whole bar of Ivory soap can be used instead, or something else called Zote. So a big fat SHRUG on this one.
The next two are easier:
2) Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda: 100% sodium carbonate (baking soda is soda bicarbonate)
3) Borax: sodium, boron, oxygen and water
I hope that helps a bit!
Joy: I get lavendar extract from my local health store with other "essential oils." You can find it online pretty easily, too. I also make bath salts and facial scrubs with it. It was something like $10 for a very small bottle, but a few drops go a LONG way. I haven't even used half the bottle yet, and I've used it in many different recipes.
ReplyDelete