In the interest of cost saving and bottle reducing in this house, I've attempted a few "homemades". The first was dishwasher detergent, mostly because that is one item that I ALWAYS forget to buy. I just never go down the aisle for anything else, so never remember TO go down that aisle. I searched for various recipes, but all of them that looked good required Citric Acid, which was one item that I haven't found. So, I settled for the other ingredients and then added some packets of Lemonade Kool-Aid (as recommended by my sis-in-law, since she'd had great results with it), but the effects were mildly disappointing. I'm not sure exactly what the Citric Acid does in the detergent, but apparently it's necessary for effectiveness. The dishes came "clean", but they likely would have with just plain water too, for the amount of spots left on them. If I had no clear glass in there, you wouldn't have known there was spots. So, until I find some straight Citric Acid, I would be trying that again (although I have some on hand for when I run out. Note that I didn't say if, but when!).
The next thing I tried was laundry soap that I found in the Duggar's book. They claimed how cheap it is, so I decided to try it, since I had all the ingredients on hand. And since I didn't want a 5 gallon bucket of it, in case I didn't like it, I cut the recipe in 4, and ended up with an ice cream bucket of it instead. So far I'm happy. All the stains have come out, and the only thing left on clothes is a bit of grease spots, which I was told was from our hard water and could be solved by increasing the washing soda. So, we'll see...so far I'm happy. I'll empty the bucket and then make an evaluation. I was happy with the Charlie's Soap too, but was also left with grease spots. After talking to the company, I was told it was from our hard water, and that added washing soda should solve the problem (which it did).
Homemade Laundry Soap
1 Fels Naptha bar, grated
1 c. washing soda (yellow box in laundry aisle)
1/2 c. borax (in laundry aisle)
Grate Fels Naptha bar into small saucepan. Cover with hot water. Cook over med-low heat until soap dissolves, stirring continually. Meanwhile put washing soda and borax in 5 gallon bucket. Pour in the hot melted soap mixture. Stir well until powder is dissolved. Fill the bucket to the top with more hot tap water. Stir, cover securely and let set overnight. The next morning, stir mixture. Mix equal amounts of soap concentrate and water in a smaller laundry-detergent dispenser or container. Shake before using. Will be "gloopy-gloc" consistency.
For top-loading machines: use 1 cup of mixture per load.
For front-loading machines: use 1/3 cup mixture per load.
I didn't dilute with water, since my bucket was full, and just stir before use and use 1/6 c. with each batch. Total cost: less than $5 for all those ingredients, which makes 240 loads (in a front loader)
My next goal is to try homemade deodorant. I found a recipe for that, which I'll share if it works. It's hard to find ones that are cheap enough, work well, and aren't full of things you can't pronounce. If I can make things with household ingredients, that not only cuts costs, but you know what you're getting. I do like buying products from local markets (homemade soaps, lotions, etc), but they are usually only available in the summer or at Christmas bazaars. And they can't be too labor intensive to make, because we all know how much time a mom with young kids has. Maybe next I'll look for a recipe for homemade hairspray, since the first 2 ingredients in mine are water and denatured alcohol. Greg probably has some of that out in his shop. (just kidding, I don't think I'll try that one...not yet, anyways)
I have found though, that making these kind of things satisfies me more than crafts or hobbies. I used to do crafts out of obligation, but don't really enjoy them as they take so much more time and concentration. And usually aren't very useful in the end. I do sew the odd project, but it has to be functional and I have to be able to finish it in a day. Otherwise it just doesn't get done.
The next thing I tried was laundry soap that I found in the Duggar's book. They claimed how cheap it is, so I decided to try it, since I had all the ingredients on hand. And since I didn't want a 5 gallon bucket of it, in case I didn't like it, I cut the recipe in 4, and ended up with an ice cream bucket of it instead. So far I'm happy. All the stains have come out, and the only thing left on clothes is a bit of grease spots, which I was told was from our hard water and could be solved by increasing the washing soda. So, we'll see...so far I'm happy. I'll empty the bucket and then make an evaluation. I was happy with the Charlie's Soap too, but was also left with grease spots. After talking to the company, I was told it was from our hard water, and that added washing soda should solve the problem (which it did).
Homemade Laundry Soap
1 Fels Naptha bar, grated
1 c. washing soda (yellow box in laundry aisle)
1/2 c. borax (in laundry aisle)
Grate Fels Naptha bar into small saucepan. Cover with hot water. Cook over med-low heat until soap dissolves, stirring continually. Meanwhile put washing soda and borax in 5 gallon bucket. Pour in the hot melted soap mixture. Stir well until powder is dissolved. Fill the bucket to the top with more hot tap water. Stir, cover securely and let set overnight. The next morning, stir mixture. Mix equal amounts of soap concentrate and water in a smaller laundry-detergent dispenser or container. Shake before using. Will be "gloopy-gloc" consistency.
For top-loading machines: use 1 cup of mixture per load.
For front-loading machines: use 1/3 cup mixture per load.
I didn't dilute with water, since my bucket was full, and just stir before use and use 1/6 c. with each batch. Total cost: less than $5 for all those ingredients, which makes 240 loads (in a front loader)
My next goal is to try homemade deodorant. I found a recipe for that, which I'll share if it works. It's hard to find ones that are cheap enough, work well, and aren't full of things you can't pronounce. If I can make things with household ingredients, that not only cuts costs, but you know what you're getting. I do like buying products from local markets (homemade soaps, lotions, etc), but they are usually only available in the summer or at Christmas bazaars. And they can't be too labor intensive to make, because we all know how much time a mom with young kids has. Maybe next I'll look for a recipe for homemade hairspray, since the first 2 ingredients in mine are water and denatured alcohol. Greg probably has some of that out in his shop. (just kidding, I don't think I'll try that one...not yet, anyways)
I have found though, that making these kind of things satisfies me more than crafts or hobbies. I used to do crafts out of obligation, but don't really enjoy them as they take so much more time and concentration. And usually aren't very useful in the end. I do sew the odd project, but it has to be functional and I have to be able to finish it in a day. Otherwise it just doesn't get done.
