I can’t remember the last time I paid for toothpaste, shavers or deodorant… I get them all free. However, there are some things I cannot get free, and laundry detergent is usually one of them. I do sometimes get a free sample for one washer full, but really that does not make any sort of dent in the overall cost of doing laundry. Occasionally I will get a really high value coupon and combine it with a sale to make the cost very low, but usually I buy from a few brands I like at the scratch & dent store for about $1.75 for 28 loads (that would be the size of one small 2X concentrate bottle).
I do on average one load a day during the work week and three or four a day on the weekends. That’s about 12 loads of wash a week, more if it is time to wash the pillows and comforters or if someone is sick. So, just for a monthly average, I would say in all honesty I do about 50 to 55 loads of wash a month. That’s an average of $3.50 a month for laundry detergent at current scratch & dent prices. Not bad, right? Well…
For about $5 including tax I bought all of the ingredients listed on the Duggar Family website (http://www.duggarfamily.com/recipes.html). I paid full price for the Borax and washing soda, but got the Fels for fifty cents. (the bottles are empty & for storage of the finished product)
Ok, here I feel like I need to go off topic and say that I am not a devout fundamental Christian, I do not practice the Quiverfull lifestyle and in general I have nothing in common with the Duggar family. But, no matter what you think of the Duggars, you have to admit they are really amazing people. Not only do they see every single child as a Gift from God, but they are raising (and homeschooling) them all debt free. Debt. Free. That is friggin’ awesome! Right then… back to the topic at hand…
I grated the soap with my handy dandy bell grater (about 5 minutes of work) and added it to 4 cups of hot tap water.
Then I cooked it until all the soap bits were melted. This took longer than I anticipated. I think next time I might spend a little longer and use the fine side of the grater.
Then I dumped that onto a five gallon bucket already half full with hot water and filled the bucket with more hot water. After a good stir, it was pretty much done! All I did was slap a lid on and wait until the next day…
Mmmm, soap gelatin. (Stir before using) After asking some more experienced laundry soap makers, I decided to forgo the extra dilution (which would make it 10 gallons rather than five). Since I skipped that step, I used half the amount suggested (about 1/4 cup) per load, and it works great!
This is supposed to do 180 loads of wash. I used up all the Fels Naptha, but have most of the other stuff left. I would figure it maybe cost me a total of $1.50 at the MOST to make five gallons of concentrate, and it took me less time than it would have to drive to the store. That’s a HUGE savings! Next time, I am going to use an unscented bar soap like Ivory, which should smell a little less sharp and save me a little more money since bars of Ivory are usually at the discount store for twenty five cents a bar.
So, there you have it! I work part time outside of the home, but I think I could squeeze this in even if I worked full time 
3 Comments
May 12, 2009 at 3:32 pm
This looks really cool! Do you use it with hard water? I’ve always wanted to try homemade laundry soap recipes, but I’ve always got the impression that they don’t work well with hard water?
I’m a little confused where the borax and washing soda came into play, because I don’t see where you used them. Did you add them in with the grated soap? Or do you use them with the gelatin soap?
May 12, 2009 at 9:22 pm
I added them both when I mixed everything together in the bucket (I think it is a cup each?). Sorry I omitted that part! We have very hard water, and so far everything has come out clean. I did find that I have to add an extra scoop (about 1/2 cup) to really dirty laundry. I made this batch a little over a month ago now, and still have a LOT of it left
July 20, 2009 at 10:38 am
I feel similarly about the Duggar family. I have five kids, and have thought about making a tee shirt that says, “No, we’re not Mormon, or Catholic, or QF. And, no, it wasn’t an accident.”
However, the Duggars seem to be a very effective family; it really works for them.
Anyways.
I make my own laundry soap, too, with almost the same ingredients — borax, washing soda, and Kirk’s Castile soap (which, though I have soft water, is supposed to work beautifully in hard water). I use a 1 to 1 to 1 ratio — equal parts each, and just mix and leave it dry. Some people use 1 Tbsp for a whole wash load, but I use 2 Tbsp (1 oz). One batch lasted me 2.5 months, and I do a LOT of laundry. I figured out that it costs me $0.06 per load. (My previous laundry system was costing me $0.67 per load.) Well, I also do an extra rinse with 1/2 cup white vinegar, and that adds 10 cents per load.
I have a son who has Nonverbal Learning Disorder, which is really similar to AS, but WITH motor skill problems (fine and gross) and WITHOUT the fixations/obsessions.
Do you have your son on a GFCF diet? Just wondering. I have another son with celiac disease and severe allergy to dairy, so that son is GFCF. We tried Grant (my NLD son) on a GFCF diet, but it didn’t seem to help. Not much, anyways.