So here is my first “official” weekly Pinterest projet:
I made Laundry soap.
You can find the original inspiration at THIS address, and she makes it look super easy, and, IT IS!
Being a single mother, I have to pick and choose how and where I spend my money. I’m paying for a house (posts to come), saving for a car, saving for his future, saving for my retirement, paying bills, feeding myself and my offspring, getting an occasional Redbox flick, and general spending. For us, and for TONS of other people across the country, money is tight.
When I learned I could make my OWN laundry soap that was a bare-bones minimum of what I bought in the store, had a stain fighter, AND is said to cost approximately $20 for 9 months (give or take) to make myself, I thought “Why not?”
The premise is simple. Buy basic ingredients: Borax, Arm & Hammer Washing Soda, Baking Soda, Generic Oxy-something detergent, Zote Soap, Fels-Naptha, and a large container. Mix everything but the large container in a garbage bag, and funnel into said large container, DONE! Sounds easy enough, let’s see how I can screw this up. Turns out, even I can’t mess it up too badly.
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| All the ingredients, except regular baking soda. |
Of all times to buy the supplies, I chose the night of Thanksgiving during the big WalMart pre-Black Friday sale. While my sister was waiting in line for a bike for the wee-one, I set off to find DVDs, Blu-Rays, books, sheets, a Shark Steamer, and various stocking stuffers. I found myself in the (deserted) cleaning aisle by the dairy section. I looked around, and found ALL of my ingredients (except the large container) within steps of one another. I was elated. I grabbed everything I needed, and took off to find more bargains.
Once home, I realized I had forgotten the large container. I wasn’t crazy enough to go back on ACTUAL Black Friday, so I thought I could do it Saturday, and did. But, once I got home with all the goods, my mom decided she wanted in on the money-saving idea, and asked if we could split the cost of the project, and she could try it too? SURE! According to the original post, it was going to give me 9 months of detergent, so 4 ½ months for $10 was still very reasonable….and if Mom decided she wanted to go back to the expensive stuff, I would STILL get a great deal. So, Saturday I bought two medium sized containers, two phone cord wristlet things, and 2 coffee scoops. (Complete price breakdown below)
Mom grated the Zote soap and Fels-Naptha soap with an old cheese grater while I opened and dumped all the other ingredients into a 13 gallon trash bag. (This was my own variation on the original recipe. It called for 3 bars of Fels-Naptha, but I had also read good things about Zote, so I used one of each) I then dumped the grated soaps into the powder mixture, spun the bag around a few times, and started shaking.
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| Everything has been mixed |
It’s kinda heavy, so this option may not be for everyone. I just felt like it was easier than trying to find something to stir with, that 1. I wouldn’t mind getting laundry detergent all over, and 2. Wouldn’t cause a detergent “cloud” all around me. (on a side-note I used the Force Flex bags because I thought they would be better with being handled more…seemed to work for me)
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| Spillage |
After everything had been thoroughly mixed, I cut a corner of the trash bag and started to fill each container. Obviously this would be a much simpler project for someone filling just ONE large container. You probably could just stuff the top of the garbage bag into the container, flip and let it all funnel in. I, on the other hand, made a bit of a mess. I doubt I wasted too much, and it all looked even and pretty once it’s done. I especially like the mix of pink and yellow bits that run through it.
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| Pretty |
What I learned from this project:
This one looked a little scary, but it was totally easy and took about 20 minutes to finish once I had all the items gathered.
Doing things like this in the back-yard have an advantage. I would have been PISSED to spill all of this in the house, even though it probably would have made the house smell lovely.
Zote Soap smells a bit like citronella, which I’m hoping will have an effect on mosquitos. Of course, I won’t be able to tell until next summer, but we shall see.
Cost Breakdown:
Borax: $3.77
Baking Soda: $2.98
Washing Soda: $3.68
Sun Oxygen Cleaner: $2.99
Zote Soap: $0.98
Fels-Naptha: $0.98
2 Medium containers: $4.97/each
2 wristlets: $1.99/each
2 coffee scoops: $1.00/each
Total cost: $33.22 (I added tax in, which may vary for you)
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| The finished product |
This seems like a bit more than what the original poster had mentioned…however, I did add an extra container, 2 wristlets, and 2 coffee scoops. But all of those things are reusable, and will be cut from the cost of the detergent in round two. Plus, the original poster did say that the Oxy cleaner is optional. So, in summary, this will cost as little or as much as you want it to. I’m happy with what I spent, and I’m happy with the first load of towels I did with it. For now, I will keep y’all posted on how I like it in the future.
*UPDATE: Okay, so this stuff is legit-awesome. It lasted just short of a year (and that's only half a batch, since I split it with my sister). I made a second batch, added more grated soap, and I like it even more. Awesome. It's CHEAP!!!! F*ckin-a c.h.e.a.p. I love the smug feeling I get when I waltz past the detergent aisle at the store. Mental middle finger flyin. Love it.
So, I highly recommend it.
Also, if you have a front-loader. It's easy to convert this to liquid. Get a couple of those big buckets from the Home Depot, and mix the detergent with boiling water until it hits the consistency you like.
Awesome.
LL
