TTGI Thursday - #3

I think this is just going to be laundry month. I'll try to think up something different for next week!
Today's good idea: save money on laundry detergent!
I hate shopping. I really do. For some reason it makes me tired. Especially grocery/necessity shopping. It frustrates me that things I have to buy cost so.much.money! So early last summer I decided I was going to try and find ways to save money on all those necessities. I'm still learning & unfortunately still spend too much money on some of those things, but one thing I don't spend a lot of money on anymore is laundry detergent. And I love that!
I will admit I was a little leery at first - would it make my clothes smell weird? would it be super hard to make? is it really that much cheaper? The answers to those questions: No, No & YES! You won't be sorry if you switch. I'm not.
Here's the instructions:

What you need {the measurements in brackets are for doubling if you should want those}:

• 1/3 bar of Fels Naptha soap {2/3 bar}
• 1/2 cup Borax powder {1 cup}
• 1/2 cup Arm and Hammer Washing Soda {1 cup}
• a bucket
• water {12 cups, 8 cups, 44 cups}

First, grate 1/3 of the soap and put it into a saucepan {trust me, you'll want to actually grate it. I tried just chopping it into tiny pieces but that took f.o.r.e.v.e.r. Just grate it}. Add 6 cups of water and heat until the soap melts. Add the Arm & Hammer and Borax, stirring until it is dissolved.
Pour 4 cups hot tap water into your bucket. Add your soap mixture and stir it together {tip: do not use a plastic utensil ... you'll be sorry}. Add another 22 cups of water and stir to combine {I measure out this water before hand and that makes it go pretty quick when adding it to the rest of the mix}. Allow to cool and set up for 12-24 hours. Usually I just make it in the morning and then use it the next day {if I'm in need of a batch at that point}. The finished soap will be a little separated and some will be pure liquid while other parts of it will be jelly like. Don't worry about mixing it all together since it's all the same stuff. I use 1/2 cup of this stuff per load of laundry.
I also doubled the batch the last time I made it {use the measurements in brackets, above}, which completely fills a 5-gallon bucket. I made my last batch on 9/14 of last year and I still have just over half of that bucket left. It lasts a long time {especially since there's just two of us right now} and is really inexpensive. If you live close to me, I was able to find all the ingredients at Winco and Broulim's, though you may be able to find them elsewhere too, I just haven't looked.

Credit: Grocery Cart Challenge {here is the original link for the laundry soap - please visit this link to see what each ingredient is for in the laundry soap & some photos of the process}-her goal is to buy all her "groceries" for her 6 person family for $60 or less each week. So she has awesome "recipes" for many necessity products and I really am going to try more of them someday. If they save me money it's probably worth it. Check out her site!

Note: a couple weeks ago I shared a tip about using OxiClean to help whiten your whites. I said that I use the generic brand. I found that product at Winco & at my local Broulim's grocery. I hope that helps anyone looking for that product.