Laundry Soap!

Jamie calls me thrifty, but I think I'm probably more of a tightwad (and I'm OK with that). Even as a little girl, I hoarded money and hated spending my Christmas and Birthday money. As I got older, this translated more to being particular and frugal with our finances. I'm very cautious when making a purchase and try to conserve and cut corners any way that I can. I also feel that it is a skill that has worked out well as I think this is part of my "job" as the stay at home parent.

Laundry! Don't we all hate it? It is the never ending job, especially with a bigger family. I do laundry almost every day, and the hamper is rarely completely empty. A while ago my friend had told me of a homemade laundry soap recipe that works great. I kind of tucked the information in the back of my mind, but didn't do anything about it. Then, we were watching a TV show a few weeks ago where the family makes their own laundry soap. I became a bit more interested in learning more about it, so I scoured the internet and emailed my friend for the recipe.

I was about halfway through my current detergent, so I decided that it would be a good time to find the ingredients and make the switch. The only thing that was a bit difficult to find was the Washing Soda. Don't let the package deceive you, this is not the same thing as baking soda and not that easy to find. I looked a few places in town, and came up empty handed. I finally found a place online that offered free shipping, so I ordered a couple of boxes, which should last a good long time.

I paid less for all my ingredients than I usually do my regular detergent. The recipe will make about 64 loads and the ingredients will last me over a year . I did the math and I can do laundry for about a penny a load! So, I basically made an entire batch for less than $1 and the same amount Tide would cost me around $12.00 or more! This will be a big money saver on something we use a lot of!

Here is the recipet:

*Laundry Detergent*

1 bar Ivory soap, grated
½ cup washing soda (NOT BAKING SODA!!!)
½ cup Borax powder
2 gallon (or bigger) bucket
Essential Oil (optional)

Grate the soap and put in a saucepan. Add 6 cups water and heat until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and borax and stir until dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket and then add the soap mixture and stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. Use ½ cup detergent per full load. The mixture will not be a solid gel, but more of an “egg noodle soup” type of look. I keep it in the bucket I make it in on top of the dryer. I have also used 1/2 a bar of Ivory soap and it works well too. You can also add several drops of essential oil to make the laundry smell pretty (I used Orange oil)


I also have started using my fabric softener in a different way (again, thanks to the internet and my friend). Buy your favorite fabric softener, and mix 1 part fabric softener to 2 parts water in a tub or container with a lid. Throw in some of those cheap sponges (I even cut mine in half). When you put a load of laundry in the dryer, take a sponge and squeeze it enough that it won't drip on the way to the dryer and throw it in and dry as normal. No more buying the dryer sheets! It stretches my liquid softener for MILES and I really don't notice much difference.

The verdict? I've done 2 loads today and they smell so fresh and nice. They are soft and clean and it is friendlier to the environment. What more can you ask for? Some people on the internet have commented that they like this better than Tide (or any other favorite). I'm not sure why I didn't start this years ago. I already make most of my own household cleaners anyways.

I promise to post about the kids next time:-)