I am finally back with a Frugal Living tip (no longer Frugal Fridays because honestly I can't promise you it will be on friday every week, that's just life) and this week's tip is one that has been a huge blessing to me and my family over the last month.....Homemade Laundry Detergent!
I know most of you probably, like me, have heard and read about a lot of people doing this lately but I was always skeptical about it and maybe you are as well. For one, I was skeptical that it really would actually save me money because honestly with all my coupon and store dealings I can get detergent pretty darn cheap a lot of times. So I found this posting on pinterest and it stated that I could make a years worth of laundry detergent for $28! Well that just made me very curious, because even with the best deals I have made on laundry with coupons, it still would cost me $30 in just 3 months. Secondly I was skeptical of how well it could work, because I have 4 wild and tough kiddos who get clothes very dirty, especially that almost 2 year old! I need something I know that works. Well this recipe I spoke of that was on Pinterest, it had Oxyclean in it and who can go wrong with Oxyclean! Plus Purex Crystals for a wonderful smell as a bonus.
So now they have me hooked and I am ready to try this out!
My results over the last month? I LOVE it! As far as cost, I bought everything needed for it for about $38 (cost is all going to depend on your store and sales). Also I didn't use any coupons when buying this items because I did not have any at the time, so you actually could do it for less if you use your coupons. It made about half of a large 5 gallon bucket and I just keep my (for handing use) in the Purex Crystals bottle. In the last month, I STILL have not gone through the entire Purex bottle, I am just now getting close to the bottom.
As far as cleaning power? My clothes come out just as clean as with any other detergent (and I was a Tide girl all the way). Granted you still are gonna need to pre-treat certain stains. Also my clothes come out smelling wonderful! I don't think I will ever buy detergent again.
So do I have you curious enough yet? Good! Then here's the recipe for my version of the homemade
laundry detergent:
1 five gallon bucket (found at any home improvement store for cheap, but don't forget the lid :o) )
1 (4 lb 12 oz) Box of Borax- Found in the detergent aisle
1 (3 lb 7 oz) Box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda- Found in the detergent aisle
1 (3 lb) Container of OxyClean- Found in the detergent aisle. (This is optional but I highly recommend adding it)
3 Bars of Ivory Soap- Found in the beauty aisle ( the original recipe called for Zote Soap but i could not find it at my grocery store so i just used Ivory and it has worked great. You can also use Fels Naptha)
1 (4 lb) Box of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda- Found in the cooking aisle (You could also get two 2 lb box, we couldn’t find the larger 4lb box when we went)
1-2 (55 oz each) Bottle of Purex Crystals Fabric Softener- Found in the detergent aisle (This is 100% optional)
The hardest part will be grating the soap, but honestly it really wasn't too bad and I have very bad hands. After grating the soap you just start adding each ingredient little by little, and add it in layers and mix as you go, I promise you this will save you a lot of pain in the end. Then I just filled up my Purex Crystals bottle with some of the detergent and stuck the 5 gallon bucket away in storage for later use!
Now go show this off to your family and have a Simple God filled Sunday!
I know most of you probably, like me, have heard and read about a lot of people doing this lately but I was always skeptical about it and maybe you are as well. For one, I was skeptical that it really would actually save me money because honestly with all my coupon and store dealings I can get detergent pretty darn cheap a lot of times. So I found this posting on pinterest and it stated that I could make a years worth of laundry detergent for $28! Well that just made me very curious, because even with the best deals I have made on laundry with coupons, it still would cost me $30 in just 3 months. Secondly I was skeptical of how well it could work, because I have 4 wild and tough kiddos who get clothes very dirty, especially that almost 2 year old! I need something I know that works. Well this recipe I spoke of that was on Pinterest, it had Oxyclean in it and who can go wrong with Oxyclean! Plus Purex Crystals for a wonderful smell as a bonus.
So now they have me hooked and I am ready to try this out!
My results over the last month? I LOVE it! As far as cost, I bought everything needed for it for about $38 (cost is all going to depend on your store and sales). Also I didn't use any coupons when buying this items because I did not have any at the time, so you actually could do it for less if you use your coupons. It made about half of a large 5 gallon bucket and I just keep my (for handing use) in the Purex Crystals bottle. In the last month, I STILL have not gone through the entire Purex bottle, I am just now getting close to the bottom.
As far as cleaning power? My clothes come out just as clean as with any other detergent (and I was a Tide girl all the way). Granted you still are gonna need to pre-treat certain stains. Also my clothes come out smelling wonderful! I don't think I will ever buy detergent again.
So do I have you curious enough yet? Good! Then here's the recipe for my version of the homemade
laundry detergent:
1 five gallon bucket (found at any home improvement store for cheap, but don't forget the lid :o) )
1 (4 lb 12 oz) Box of Borax- Found in the detergent aisle
1 (3 lb 7 oz) Box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda- Found in the detergent aisle
1 (3 lb) Container of OxyClean- Found in the detergent aisle. (This is optional but I highly recommend adding it)
3 Bars of Ivory Soap- Found in the beauty aisle ( the original recipe called for Zote Soap but i could not find it at my grocery store so i just used Ivory and it has worked great. You can also use Fels Naptha)
1 (4 lb) Box of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda- Found in the cooking aisle (You could also get two 2 lb box, we couldn’t find the larger 4lb box when we went)
1-2 (55 oz each) Bottle of Purex Crystals Fabric Softener- Found in the detergent aisle (This is 100% optional)
The hardest part will be grating the soap, but honestly it really wasn't too bad and I have very bad hands. After grating the soap you just start adding each ingredient little by little, and add it in layers and mix as you go, I promise you this will save you a lot of pain in the end. Then I just filled up my Purex Crystals bottle with some of the detergent and stuck the 5 gallon bucket away in storage for later use!
Now go show this off to your family and have a Simple God filled Sunday!
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