Cheap....me....well sometimes....

OK wait....Erin...Smith??? Are you reading????...I totally thought about you when I posted this blog...you know from your comment at the craft fair...You know, The whole...
Me: I want to learn to make soap...
Erin: UMMM I thought I wanted to craft with you....But I just changed my mind...Make soap???
Me: yeah It sounds neat...
Erin: um no... Blah blah blah something about sensitive skin????

Just so you know....This laundry soap recipe is recommended for people who have "sensitive" skin....It has no harsh chemicals or ingredients that the big name products have....and just so you know.... you can wash those gross diapers that you were thinking about making...it this and it is totally safe and all natural....) ;)

OK START....

So as most others in the U.S we have been looking for ways to save money...As most of you know I hate laundry and feel as if I am a owner in my own personal laundry mat.

I have taught my 6 and 4 year old to do laundry. Really I have deiced to show them now the harsh reality of laundry at this early age...and maybe by doing this they won't assume because they wore it for 2 Min's...that it is dirty...It so far has not phased them...

I put them into color coordinated baskets and then let them do the rest....With a little help. They put in the soap and the clothes and rotate all of the laundry from the washer to the dryer, then to the basket and then to the couch to sit...It has been nice to just have to separate colors ex..... and fold....
(of which I don't even fold my kids clothes, OK you may think "how lazy"...BUT I have been there and done that....My kids have fold able, light weight, cloth laundry baskets (Thanks to Mel) and I had been folding them and then had my kids put them away.....

But what I found was by the time my kids took that basket down stairs....

NOTHING stayed FOLDED.....

They either spilled the basket or one child in particular...has to look at every single piece of clothing she puts in her drawers...and so everything would get unfolded. I was wasting so much time. It is just much easier to right side all of the clothes and then have them put them in the drawers. Eventually, MY HOPE is that one day they will fold them correctly and place in the right drawer. But for right now, I am out numbered and I can't do it all.)

Back to being cheap....I hate spending 20 bucks or more every 1- 2 weeks on laundry soap. We have a front loader and I felt the pressure of buying the HE soap, which and some point can cost up to 24$. But I have made a new discovery.

HOMEMADE LAUNDRY SOAP

I like it.... so here is the recipe

Ingredients:

*5.5 oz bar Fels Naptha

(I choose this because it's all natural (ERIN) and has been around for 100 years. You may use a soap of your choice, such as Ivory)

* 1 cup 20 Mule Team Borax

* 1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda

* Water

JUST A NOTE: I could not find thing ingredients at Any of the big name stores..IE..the "Walsmarts", or Freddy's...But if you try your local "home town" type stores...you will have better luck. Try true value...But I would trying calling around. I found most of the the ingredients in the laundry isle by the fabric softeners and stain removers, usually top self... I know that Winco sells most all of them.

Tools:

* 5 Gallon container

* Knife

* Pot large enough to hold 5 cups of water

* Long stirring stick/spoon (for 5 gallon container, IE A BUCKET W/ LID)

Instructions:

Shave the soap into small strips and place in the pot with 5 cups of water.

Bring the water just shy of a boil and stir until the soap is completely melted. When the soap is just about melted, pour 3 gallons of hot water into the 5-gallon container and let it sit until the soap in the pot is totally melted.

Once all of the soap shavings are melted, pour the mixture into the 5-gallon container and stir.Once the soap and water are thoroughly stirred, add the 1 cup of washing soda and stir until dissolved. Once the washing soda is dissolved, Pour in the cup of borax and stir again until dissolved. Fill bucket 3 inches from the top with hot water.

Optional: Essential oil for fragrance. If you like fragrant detergent, now is when you can add a few drops of your favorite essential oils.You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled.

Some ideas Lavender, tea tree oil, rosemary, orange or just about anything you like.

Now you've got a huge container of hot soapy looking water. Cover the container, place it some where out of the way and let it sit overnight. Once it's cooled it will gel. It will not gel uniformly so it will be lumpy and watery. Sorta like egg flower soup...If you can get around this...were good. It is not very attractive, but it works. It's best find smaller storage containers for convenience and something with a lid that will stop the kiddos from playing in the super slime!

Usage: 1/4 to 1/2 cup per laundry load is adequate to clean your clothes depending on your washer. I have been using 1/4 cup in my front loader. and it has been working great. I added about 55 drops or so of the essential oil (lavender) to give it a smell.

This homemade laundry detergent works well in High efficiency washing machines since it is low sudsing.One word of caution, if using a high efficiency machines: Before pouring the lumpy gel into the detergent receptacle, stir it to break up the lumps. Very large lumps may not fully dissolve, stirring the detergent with a spoon, pencil, or whatever you have available (or your finger), works fine.

The breakdown......ARE YOU READY?????

THIS IS BASED ON 1/2 cup per load for a top loading machine.

Yield:
This recipe yields 442 oz of laundry detergent, of which 4 oz are required per laundry load. With this recipe you should be able to wash 111 loads of laundry.

Cost break down:

As of May, 2008, the purchase price for the ingredients in the Northeastern area of the United States are as follows:

* Borax: $2.50 for 70 oz.Cost per batch: .28 (8 oz needed for recipe)

* Washing Soda: $2.50 for 55 oz.Cost per batch .18.(4 oz needed for recipe)

* Fels Naptha: $.99 for 3 3.1 oz. Bars.Cost per batch: .33 (1 bar of soap needed for recipe)

Cost to make:

.79 Yield: 442 oz.Cost per oz. = .00178 Cost per 1/2 cup

½ cup = .007 or rounded to .01 cent per load

The cost to wash 111 loads with homemade laundry detergent is $1.11.

How does that compare to your store-bought detergent?

For another cost saving cleaning tip, why not try making your own liquid hand soap , Dish washing soap or fabric softeners.

Inexpensive Fabric Softener Recipes
Recipe 1:

1 Cup White Vinegar

Add vinegar to rinse cycle. Works great. Removes residue and odors. Also helps to keep washing machine and hoses fresh and clean too.

Recipe #2
1 Container of Name Brand Fabric Softener

4 Inexpensive sponges, cut in half

Pour entire container of softener into a 5 gallon bucket. Fill empty softener container with water twice. (2 parts water to 1 part softener) Add sponges to softener/water mixture. When ready to use wring out extra mixture from one sponge and add to the dryer as you would a dryer sheet.

I also posted some dishwasher soap recipes below....