Monday, January 12, 2009

Money Saving Tip #5 ~ Make your own laundry soap

Recipe costs approx. $2.

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine

4 Cups hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup Washing Soda
½ Cup Borax

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled.

makes 10 gallons!!

-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)

-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

That is 180 loads of laundry washed for $2!!! Can you beat that? Plus, you can make it smell the way you want and change it up. For this batch, we will make half apple cinnamon and half peach. The scent choices are endless!!
By the way, I had to get the washing soda and Fels-Naptha soap in the mail. If you can not find it in a store near you, here is where I got the Fels-Naptha: http://www.soapsgonebuy.com/?Click=2 I bought 5 bars of soap at one time to cut down the cost-per-bar. You can purchase the washing soda there, too, but it is expensive to ship. I ordred mine from Church and Dwight Co., Inc. They are the makers of Arm & Hammer. To order directly from them for $3.99 a box & no shipping charges, call: 800-524-1328.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sadly, we would all be breaking out in rashes if I tried to wash our clothes with that.

-Anne

Tiffany said...

Thanks for all your help. We have sucessfully completed our first batch of homemade laundry detergent. Now I have to figure out how I am going to get this five gallon bucket upstairs to the laundry room. LOL!

Books to read:

  • Diary of a Mad Mother to Be by Laura Wolf
  • Diary of a Mad Bride by Laura Wolf
  • The Nanny Diaries by Emma Mclaughlin and Nicola Kraus
  • Love in the Driest Season by Neely Tucker
  • Restavec by Jean-Robert Cadet