Sunday, April 19, 2009

Trim Your Laundry Budget

So, I finally have something worthy of Myrtle to post (Jesse's the frugal one, not me). I went to my friend Joanna's house Thursday, where she taught me to make my own liquid laundry soap. A 170 fluid-ounce container of Tide costs around $25, and will do 110 loads. The do-it-yourself version costs just a few dollars to make enough to do the same number of loads. (Thanks to Jesse for the cost analysis.) Joanna was actually using a recipe she had found online, so I googled one myself to share:

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/make-your-own-laundry-soap.html

The linked recipe calls for 2 cups of everything, but we used 1 complete bar of soap, 1 cup each of borax and washing soda, and added water until it filled my container. Joanna provided the borax and washing soda, but they are each under five dollars and will last through two or three soap-making expeditions. I used a bar of Ivory soap, which I already had on my shelf; Joanna has also made her soap with a bar of Dove. You should probably use a white bar of soap that is not heavily perfumed. Joanna says her soap usually lasts about three months (she is married with two children).

Happy soap-making!

4 comments:

Gina Rochelle said...

Holy cow, I think this one blows Myrtle right out of the water! I never even considered the possibility of making my laundry detergent (and I've considered things that are downright stingy)! Right now I have a large tub of detergent from Sams Club but I think I'll be saving that tub and trying this when I run out. Thanks Deb!

Shayla said...

This sounds great! Well, until I checked out the recipe...

I'm a little concerned because I have no idea what washing soda, borax, essential oils are or where to find them. Are these things you find in the household cleaning section of a store? I get overwhelmed easily and this recipe overwhelms me. But I'm willing to try it out (I think)! Let me know, someone, if you're able to easily find these ingredients.

debs said...

I think Joanna found the borax and washing soda at the grocery store (I'll check with her to be sure). She doesn't use essential oils - they would be found somewhere like Whole Foods or other natural foods stores. They are extracts from herbs and spices such as lavender or cinnamon or chamomile. The oils would be used to give your soap fragrance, but they are optional, not necessary.

raffleckt said...

has anyone tried this recipe in a HE washer? The HE soaps are especially overpriced, but I'm leery of experimenting...