As a family, our tightest time concerning money is the winter. For me, the end of the year slows down because everyone has blown through their budget. For Rick it is because not many people go cycling in the winter months. January comes around and it starts picking up, but for my work in January, I won't see the pay for it til february, or march. (I know, the woes of working from home.)
So In January I was looking for ways to save a few pennies and came across a recipe for homemade laundry detergent. The recipes of course are everywhere and they are all the same. So I did some price comparisons and after making the stuff checked out my laundry. Here is what I have:
Recipe for powder. (There is a liquid recipe, but it looked too complicated to make and knowing my kids, I would find them sitting in the 5 gallon bucket you need to make it in, with laundry detergent all over the floor):
1 bar ivory soap
1/2 cup Borax
1 cup washing soda (not baking soda, it has to be washing soda. I say this because everyone else does. Obviously some people have tried it with baking soda.)
Cost:
If you buy a box of powder, I used Tide, that was the 40 load size, it ran about 5 dollars. The cost of the ingredients together is 11.22, and broken down is only 1.27 a batch and 1 batch is 40 loads if you only use 1 tbsp. (wow, what a long sentence) My family has pretty dirty clothes so I use 2 tbsp a load but still, for 40 loads I am still only paying 2.54. I am no genius when it comes to math, but that is savings and that savings ads up. Especially when you are a family that goes through as much wash as I do. I also switched to using vinegar for fabric softner. I actually thought I would smell like vinegar, but no, you don't. I do use fabric softner for our whites though. Bleach and vinegar are not friends. Don't try it, I am sure it will explode something.
So, on to making the concoction. I let Jakob help me because he loves helping mommy. Krischan is at that age where he doesn't want to help me anymore unless I pay him.
Start with 1 bar of ivory soap and cut it up. It literally cuts like butter.
I let Jakob put the soap in the food processor.
I measure out the washing soda and borax myself, place in the processor and put the lid on before I let Jakob mix it. It doesn't bother Jakob to much once he realizes he gets to push the button to mix everything up. As you can tell by the look on his face.
Kind of ends up looking like parmesean cheese huh? Don't eat it though, I am sure it wouldn't taste like that or do to your insides the good things cheese does.
I sacrificed one of my tuperware containers to house the mix in and wrote on top what it was and how much to use. This way when other people do the laundry, they know how much to use. Bwaaa!!!! that was so funny! Like anyone in this house other than me does the laundry!! HAAAAA! Let me tell you, if I didn't do laundry, everyone would be walking around in smelly, unclean clothes. He, He...that was a good one. "if other people were to do laundry." oh man, I now have tears coming down my face.
So in summary:
No one in my house does laundry except for me.
You will not smell like a perfume factory anymore.
Your clothes will still get clean.
You will save some pennies.
So In January I was looking for ways to save a few pennies and came across a recipe for homemade laundry detergent. The recipes of course are everywhere and they are all the same. So I did some price comparisons and after making the stuff checked out my laundry. Here is what I have:
Recipe for powder. (There is a liquid recipe, but it looked too complicated to make and knowing my kids, I would find them sitting in the 5 gallon bucket you need to make it in, with laundry detergent all over the floor):
1 bar ivory soap
1/2 cup Borax
1 cup washing soda (not baking soda, it has to be washing soda. I say this because everyone else does. Obviously some people have tried it with baking soda.)
Cost:
If you buy a box of powder, I used Tide, that was the 40 load size, it ran about 5 dollars. The cost of the ingredients together is 11.22, and broken down is only 1.27 a batch and 1 batch is 40 loads if you only use 1 tbsp. (wow, what a long sentence) My family has pretty dirty clothes so I use 2 tbsp a load but still, for 40 loads I am still only paying 2.54. I am no genius when it comes to math, but that is savings and that savings ads up. Especially when you are a family that goes through as much wash as I do. I also switched to using vinegar for fabric softner. I actually thought I would smell like vinegar, but no, you don't. I do use fabric softner for our whites though. Bleach and vinegar are not friends. Don't try it, I am sure it will explode something.
So, on to making the concoction. I let Jakob help me because he loves helping mommy. Krischan is at that age where he doesn't want to help me anymore unless I pay him.
Start with 1 bar of ivory soap and cut it up. It literally cuts like butter.
I let Jakob put the soap in the food processor.
I measure out the washing soda and borax myself, place in the processor and put the lid on before I let Jakob mix it. It doesn't bother Jakob to much once he realizes he gets to push the button to mix everything up. As you can tell by the look on his face.
Kind of ends up looking like parmesean cheese huh? Don't eat it though, I am sure it wouldn't taste like that or do to your insides the good things cheese does.
I sacrificed one of my tuperware containers to house the mix in and wrote on top what it was and how much to use. This way when other people do the laundry, they know how much to use. Bwaaa!!!! that was so funny! Like anyone in this house other than me does the laundry!! HAAAAA! Let me tell you, if I didn't do laundry, everyone would be walking around in smelly, unclean clothes. He, He...that was a good one. "if other people were to do laundry." oh man, I now have tears coming down my face.
So in summary:
No one in my house does laundry except for me.
You will not smell like a perfume factory anymore.
Your clothes will still get clean.
You will save some pennies.
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