I'd like to share how I save some money and keep my A.D.D. hands busy!
I make my own laundry soap and it's super easy(AND CHEAP). You can make Liquid or Dry. I chose Dry because it's less work for me and I don't have to stand over the stove. I will include both here today :)
How to make Dry Laundry Soap:
1 cheese grater or if you're lucky a food processor (I'm envious...lol)
1 huge bowl
1/2 cup of soap grated with a cheese grater. (real soap like Ivory, Fels-Naptha, Irish Spring. No dove or any moisturing bars with lotions) - (I used ivory and got a 10 bar pack for around $4.99)
1/2 C. Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda ( NOT baking soda ..this is super hard to find but it's sodium carbonate or "PH ADD" in the swimming pool) $6.00 for 4lbs!! (I found PH ADD@ walmart)
1/2 C. Borax ( I use 20 Mule Team ) - around $4.00 (walmart & brookshires)
---optional--- 2 scoops of SUN Brand oxygen cleaner..to help whiten ($1.86 @ walmart)
Buy all the ingredients a day before and unwrap all your soap bars!! They need to dry out if you are grating them. (when grating it causes friction which makes the bars heat up a little and then they become kind of gooey) This is my favorite part..I have a shopping addiction and I have to tear into the packages immediately when I get home..or when I get packages out of the mail box (..it's terrible I know)
Measure the grated soap and mix all together and use 1 tablespoon per load. It's easier for me because I can store it in a small/large containers (old cool-whip, butter or yogurt containers) rather than a large bucket.
I used all but 2 bars of soap (so 8 bars) to make over 500 loads of laundry soap
Cost Breakdown
1/2 cup of soap (roughly 1 bar 4.99/10) = .49
1/2 cup of Washing Soda/PH Add (6.00/128)= .04
1/2 cup of borax (3.89/19)= .20
--optional--2 scoops of Sun brand oxygen cleaner ( 1.86/15)= .12
Total No Oxy: .73/(32 loads) equals= .0228 cents per load
Total with Oxy: .85/(36loads) equals= .0236 cents per load
Tide Powdered Detergent @ Walmart: 7.25 for 15 loads = .48 cents per load!!
Sun Brand Detergent @ Walmart: 6.48 for 112 loads = .0578 cents per load (btw: this is the cheapest brand at walmart)
Total Savings:
4.99+3.89 *2+6.00+1.86= 20.63 for well over 500 (roughly 573) loads (plus all the left overs you have because you didn't use up all the borax or PH ADD)
Sun Brand:6.48*5.11=33.11
Tide Brand:7.25*38.2= 276.95
--Savings of $256.32 for exchanging Tide and $12.48 for exchanging Sun Brand--
What are you going to do with your extra dollars now??
I spent $4 of mine to buy 2 one gallon storage containers to hold it all. Also don't worry about no scoop! There's one in the Sun Brand Oxygen cleaner...just use a HALF scoop in each load.
This is safe for HE washers and front loading washers...since there are no bubbles!! Yes, that's right you paid at least $12 dollars extra just for useless BUBBLES and the NAME BRAND!!
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How to make Liquid Laundry Soap:
Here is the ingedient list:
1/2 bar of soap (real soap like Ivory, Fels-Naptha, Irish Spring. No dove or any moisturing bars with lotions) grated with a cheese grater.
1/2 C. Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda ( NOT baking soda ..this is super hard to find but it's sodium carbonate or "PH ADD" in the swimming pool)
1/2 C. Borax ( I use 20 Mule Team )
2 gallons total of hot water.
Take a 6 qt. pot and add 3 qts. of water. Put this on the stove on med/hi heat ( you want the water hot but not boiling).
Add Fels Naptha soap and stir gently till soap is dissolved.
Add Washing Soda and stir till dissolved.
Add Borax and stir till dissolved. The mixture will thicken up a bit at this point.
Take a kitchen bucket ( or any thing that will hold 2 gallons easily ) and add 5 qts. of hot water and pour in your soap mixture.
Let it cool and mix it up and pour into your containers.
This mixture does get "goopy" so you will have to stir it to loosen up the "gel" like properties. Use the same amount (1/2 cup) of liquid which happens to be the little cups that already come with the liquid detergents!
