Thursday, May 24, 2012

Laundry soap

So I finally got around to making my own laundry detergent today (via this recipe)...and am so enjoying the process and the fresh clean smell. I'm actually still in the process.
  I've heard about it for some time and just been hesitant to try as I wasn't sure it would clean as well as what I use or smell as good. BUT the reviews on this have been fantastic, and the savings are significant, which is crucial to me right now.... therefore I'm giving it a shot.
 I'm going to list the things I used in mine and what I paid so I have a record for myself (and anyone else who is interested), and I can come back in a few months and review how it cleans and how long it lasts, etc.
 1 box of Borax - $2.06 (salvage store)
1 3 lb tub of Oxiclean - $7.54 (target)
1 bottle of Purex crystals (lavender blossom) - $4.49 (target)
2 bars of Fels Naftha soap - $5.72 (2 pack) (Amazon.com)
1 13 lb bag of baking soda - $ 6.68 (Sam's club)

 The recipe says to use 4 lbs of baking soda and 3.5 lbs of washing soda (apparently there is a chemical difference), so I did a little research and found you can make the washing soda by "baking" baking soda in an oven for a couple hours at 200 degrees or more. I'm waiting on the soda to finish as I type this so I guess we will see how it works. By buying the huge bag from Sam's I have enough for two batches of laundry soap ( so I used half and will save the rest for next time). All together  it cost me $24.77 for this batch of laundry soap. According to reviews it should last 6-9 months. As of now I spend about $20 for 6-8 weeks worth of detergent so this should be huge savings. And I'm only supposed to use a couple TBS per load. Wow! Can't wait to see how this stuff works...