Saving Money and Worry on Laundry

So I'm back to making my own laundry detergent. It's cheaper and works better than the Tide Free. And my youngest's skin is looking better. At least this way I know what is in my detergent. Instead of a long list of chemicals I had no idea what they were.



My adapted recipe - 1/4 bar of soap (kirks castile I used the first time, glycirine I used the second time, Ivory evidently works fine too), dissolve in a medium sized pot about half full of water. Add 1/4 cup of borax and 1/4 cup of washing soda. Stir until dissolved. It will attain a goopy texture - almost like snot. Yes, we are very relaxed around here, sorry.



Take an old 100 fl oz Tide (or whatever) bottle and pry out the silly funnel/pour spout thing so that you have a good big open neck. Take the slightly cooled soap/borax/soda mixture and pour into this empty Tide (or whatever) Bottle. Any space left over, fill with hot water. Cap it and shake very well.



About a 1/2 cup works well and a friend says run the water on hot for about a minute in the very beginning when you put the soap in (first, before dumping in the clothes) so that any gelled clumps will dissolve. I use a handled brush (a buck at IKEA, I use them for everything) to break up goopy, snotty clumps. She also says you can use this to pre-treat stains and cut grease with other household cleaning tasks, and she's right. I've found it's great for scrubbing burnt on food off my stove.



And man it's cheap. 1/4 bar of Kirks castile is about 30 cents. Ivory, bought in the 8 pack, probably works out to less than a dime for a 1/4 bar. The borax and the soda are maybe 10 or 20 cents for 1/4 cup. Prob less. So that's 50 or 60 cents to get you a bottle of detergent instead of 7 bucks.



Want to go even more hard core? Wash with cold water. I haven't noticed that my clothes seem any dirtier. They smell fine.



Not enough yet? Cut your dryer usage. I have 2 folding clothes frames, and am probably going to get 1 or 2 more. 2 frames is enough to peg out a large load of clothes. Set the frame over a heating vent in the evening, and it will humidify your house and you'll have dry clothes by morning. Free.



So there it is. Cheap, Cheaper, and cheapest. Because you have better things to spend your money on.