Laundry for $.02 per Load?!

Trying to save money? Trying to be good to the environment? Tired of harsh chemicals ruining your clothes? Try making your own laundry detergent!

I received a sample of homemade laundry detergent in a purchase I made a while back and I was skeptical about it. I didn't think it would get my clohtes clean, particularly since the label said to only use 1 tablespoon per full load of clothes! I liked that it was environmentall friendly (no harsh chemicals!) and it smelled wonderful so I gave it a try.

BEST DECISION I'VE MADE IN A LONG TIME! Not only does homemade laundry detergent smell great (you pick the scent!) and get your clothing clean, it doesn't bother my sensitive skin or aggrivate my family's asthma. Plus, your towels and sheets smell great for a long time!

Want to know how to make it? Here's the recipe I use:

3/4 C Borax

.5 C Washing Soda

.5 C Baking Soda

1 4 oz bar of scented soap

Grate your bar soap and mix in with the other ingredients; store in a snap top container. This makes 1.75 cups or (if you use only 1 TBSP per load) will wash 28 loads of laundry. You can find all ingredients in your local supermarket (I know Publix carries them all). I approximated the costs for each item:

Washing Soda: $2.29/ 55 oz box ($.042 per ounce)

Baking Soda: $.69/ 16 oz box ($.043 per ounce)

Borax: $3.79/ 76 oz box ($.050 per ounce)

After calculating some more math that I won't burden your brain with, I found out that 1 tablespoon costs $0.02. Remember you only need 1 TBSP per load!

To give you something to compare this to (as if it's not already clearly a money saver!), Arm and Hammer laundry detergent costs about $.14 per load and Tide costs about $.16 per load. (Keep in mind these are rough estimates based on online shopping prices and quick math.)

If this sounds like something you'd like to try, feel free to comment with any questions you may have. It's a quick and pretty fun project with great results. You can do a Google search for liquid detergent recepies that are made similarly if you prefer that type of detergent.

By the way, I got my all-natural, essential oil-filled soap from BeautifulSoaps on Etsy. Heather has a great selection!