Make Your Own Laundry Soap to Save Money

Lots of people are looking to save money. They turn off lights, turn their thermostats down, go to matinee movies, shop sales at the grocery store, try to consolidate trips to save gas, and reuse boxes for storage or gifts. Most of these things you can find talked about on the web. Some have the added benefit of being considered good for the environment. But what happens when you have done all of this and are still looking to trim your budget? Where else do you look to save money? Perhaps you thin out your main meals with beans instead of using all meat. Perhaps you look for free samples on line. You might even reuse the unwritten-on front of birthday/holiday/ "Thank You" cards. Still, there must be other ways to save on a more regular basis. Something you haven't tried yet.

Do you realize that every week you are doing something that is sending money down the drain? You do several loads of laundry and might be wasting money in the process. The number of loads you do will vary depending on how many people are in your household, and how active they are. Still, I bet you average at least one load a week if you are single or 5 loads if you have a kid or two. Did you ever consider how much it costs you in detergent and softener to do that laundry? Oh, you might try to find the largest bottle for the cheapest price or go to the warehouse store to get the bucket that will last 60 washes. But have you ever done the math? Let's say you are able to get a bottle of detergent for $5.99 on that will wash 32 loads. That means you are paying almost $.19 for every load. Then you have your softener on top of that. You could buy a 40 count box of dryer sheets for $2.69. So for each load you dry, you pay almost $.07. (Prices were taken from my weekly circular.) Since those numbers are rounded up, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and round them down. So to wash a load you pay $.18. To dry the load you pay $.07. In all you have just spent $.25 to wash and dry. Now multiply that times every load and the money can start to add up.

So what is an alternative? Did you know you can make laundry detergent at home? Yes, you can do it. No, it really isn't that hard. There are several websites out there with recipes to do this. (Try searching "making laundry detergent".) There are three basic components: washing soda, borax, and soap. Some mention using either Zote or Fels Naptha. Others say you can use Ivory as a substitute if needed. I have used Ivory and Zote, which were available at my local grocery stores or Target. Washing soda (NOT baking soda) and borax are available in your laundry section at the grocery store or local retailer. So, what does this cost you? How much can you really save? Though the math will depend on the price of your ingredients, it should cost about $.01 or $.02 per load!! Isn't that better than $.18! Now, what about softener? You might be saying, "There are only so many choices out there, right? And aren't they all about the same price?" Well, yes and no. If you are considering 'regular' softeners then perhaps you are right. But there is another option out there. Two actually. The first option is to use vinegar, white vinegar to be exact. Due to the properties of vinegar it makes a great softener as it helps get the detergent out of your clothes. It does not leave a smell on them, so you will not go around smelling like pickles. The price of a gallon of vinegar is $1.67 at my local store. Much better than the $2.99 for the bottled scented stuff of unknown ingredients. Use about half a cup per load and you are set to go. The other option is to not use any. It might take some getting used to, and I still don't do this for our towels, but it is an option that I bet you will not notice after a week or two.

Now let's compare. Before, you were spending about $.25 per load. Now you are spending $.02 or maybe $.04. You have just saved a little more than $.20 on your load of laundry. Multiply that times the 5 loads a week times 52 weeks that you might be doing and you have just saved $52 for a year. Nothing to get rich on, but not bad. Some added benefits with doing this is that it is better for the environment, uses less or no petroleum products, and can be used in both regular and HE washers since it is low sudsing. Give it a try. You might just find you like it. Warning: People will look at you funny if you mention you make your own laundry soap. Also, if you have hard water this may not work for you.