I’ve been either a stay-at-home-mom, self-employed, or a part-time working mom since we had our first child nearly 18 years ago. No matter my work or income situation, I’ve always looked for ways to stretch the money that we have coming into our household.
I have attempted almost every dollar-stretching idea you can think of–from turning off the water while brushing my teeth to washing plastic baggies to reuse later, from cloth diapers and homemade baby wipes to homemade cleaners of all kinds. My commitment to these ideas have ebbed and flowed through the years, but the one I have stuck with for the past 10 years (at least) is homemade laundry detergent.
Up until recently, and even while we lived in Ecuador, I used the following recipe:
Tried and True Homemade Laundry Detergent
1/3 bar Fels Naptha soap (grated)
1 C borax
1 C washing soda
about 4 C water
*5 gallon bucket for storage (I got mine with a lid from a local bakery for $1.)
Heat water in a pan on the stove over medium heat; add grated soap. Stir often until dissolved. Once dissolved, remove from heat. Add borax and washing soda; stir until dissolved. Pour mixture into a 5 gallon bucket. Add hot (or warm) water until the bucket is full. Stir to incorporate.
The detergent is ready to use right away, even though it will be thin. After it sits overnight, it should have a thicker consistency. Each time I make it, I tend to get a different consistency–from shampoo-like to solid gelatin–but it works just as well no matter the difference. I use a discarded scoop from an empty oxi-clean container, so between 1/4 and 1/2 cup per load. One bucket lasts my family of 6 approximately 4 months and costs about $1 to make.
Recently, I ran across the following recipe and have been using it consistently since the summer when we returned to the US. It mixes up quickly and works just as well as any other detergent I’ve ever used, including the other homemade kind.
I blogged about this very thing on my old blog (by the same name) a couple of years ago.
New Homemade Laundry Detergent
2 TB Dawn dish liquid
3 TB borax
3 TB washing soda
*Empty one-gallon container or recycled laundry detergent container.
Add all the ingredients to your chosen storage container along with a cup or 2 of hot, hot water. Swirl or shake until dissolved. Then fill to the top with water (warm or cold is fine) and shake. Ready to use immediately.
This will not gel like my older recipe, but it has been just as effective at cleaning our clothes. I store mine in a recycled detergent bottle and use the cap to measure. I use about a cap full per load. One bottle costs pennies to make and lasts about 3 weeks for our family of 6.
I haven’t done the exact calculations, but I guess that this one effort at frugality saves my family $20-$30 each month. Doesn’t sound like much? That’s $240-$360 each year!
What about you? Have you made your own laundry detergent before? Do you have a favorite recipe? Share it below in the comments.