Make DIY Laundry Detergent.
This is HUGE savings! I’ve been making my own laundry soap for over two years and I don’t think I’ll ever go back to buying it.
I make a very easy recipe that doesn’t involve grating soap or standing over a hot stove boiling water. You can find the original recipe at One Good Thing by Jillie.
You simply combine 1/2 cup Mule Team Borax, 1/2 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
I use empty gallon milk jugs and make four or more at a time. I stick them all in my kitchen sink and use a funnel to measure each ingredient into the jugs.
While I’m doing that I’m heating up the water in the microwave.
It’s super easy and quick! I can make four gallons in about 15 minutes, with most of that time spent waiting on water to get hot in the microwave. Once the hot water has dissolved the soaps fairly well and cooled off a bit, fill the jug with water slowly. You will have overflowing soap suds, which is why I do it in the sink.
To use, you will only need 1/4 cup of this detergent or 1/3 cup for a large or heavily soiled load.
If you run out of laundry detergent, making a batch of DIY laundry detergent is quicker than going to the store.
Our laundry gets just as clean as it did when I used regular laundry detergent. It is also fine to use in HE washers as it is extremely low suds, in fact I usually don’t see any suds at all.
I like the fact I know what I’m putting into this detergent. Borax and the Super Washing Soda are both all natural, phosphate and fragrance free. Dawn is approved to clean wildlife in oil spills, so I figure it must be pretty safe also.
The best part is the savings! For around $30 you will have enough to keep you supplied for well over a year. It’s literally pennies per load.
Stop Buying Fabric Softeners
Fabric softener sheets are not good for your dryer or clothes and liquids just mean more chemicals. You really don’t need them. There are several options here.
- Don’t use anything. I often don’t use any softener at all. Depending on the season, you may or may not have some static.
- Use vinegar . I add 1/4 cup of vinegar in place of softener in the dispenser. Your clothes may smell a little like vinegar when you take them out of the wash, but by the time they are dry, they don’t smell like vinegar at all. Vinegar is cheaper than softeners.
- Make your own fabric softener. If you really like the fragrance in softeners you can make your own and save money. I used to do this before I realized I really didn’t need it. You simply combine 1 1/2 cups vinegar, 3 cups water and somewhere between 1/4 cup to 1 cup of your favorite scented inexpensive hair conditioner. The recipe I originally used called for 1 cup of conditioner, but I reduced mine and didn’t measure.
Make Your Own Dryer Balls
These will further eliminate the need for fabric softeners. They won’t damage your clothes as I’ve heard the ones with the little knobs on them can. I like the fact I was able to use my sons old socks. They’re not pretty, but they work.
It’s been over a year since I made them and they’re still good as new with no signs of wear.
I used the instructions from this post on A Back To Basics Lifestyle.
They definitely help to reduce static and fluff things in the dryer. I pinned safety pins on to one of them as the metal discharges the static in the dryer. How cool is that?
A word of caution though. Make sure your safety pins have a tight closure and you go through as many layers as you can in the sock ball. I didn’t the first time and they came undone and were swallowed by the dryer. I’ll probably find them them when I take the vent hose off the back to clean it.