With our nation in such uncertain economic times, especially the great state of Michigan, I have been pushed to become even more frugal and cut costs in our living expenses. I know that many, many people out there are in the same shoes, any ideas we can share with each other are very helpful! We are all in this together! So, I'm going to share a few of my "frugal secrets" with you, and if you have any more frugal ideas, share them with me, and I'll pass them along to my readers!
Frugal Secret #1:
Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap
1 bar of Fels-Naptha soap
4 c. hot tap water
1 c. washing soda
1/2 c. Borax
-Grate the bar of soap with a food grater, and add to a saucepan with the hot tap water. Over medium heat, stir until soap is completely dissolved and melted. Fill a 5 gallon bucket (available at Home Depot with lids) 1/2 full with hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda, and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to the top with hot tap water. Stir well, cover, and let it sit overnight to thicken.
This Laundry soap is basically like a concentrate that you would buy at the store. A little goes a long way! Shake well before each use. (it thickens and gels when it has been sitting) Add 1/4 c. to 1/3 c. per load depending on dirtiness of load. I keep a measuring cup on top of the washing machine so I always have it there when I need it! This recipe costs approximately $2.00 to make, and it washes approximately 180 loads of laundry.
Hints:
-Fells Naptha soap, Borax, and Washing Soda are found in the laundry aisle of most grocery stores.
-This is a great recipe for people with sensitive skin. It contains no dyes or fragrances.
-It works great when washing cloth diapers! Just add 2 tbsp. extra of Borax to the laundry load, or pre-treat the stains by dissolving 1/2 of Borax in warm water, and soaking the item that is stained. Works great on baby spit-up, formula stains, newborn diaper messes, ketchup, grass stains, etc.
Frugal secret Number #2:
-Use wet baby washcloths instead of wet wipes. I buy the 8 pack of baby washcloths at target for $4.29. They clean just as well as baby wipes. After using them, I throw them in the diaper pail and wash them with the cloth diapers. Think of all the benefits! They are reusable, greener and better for the environment, great for babies that have sensitive skin, and just think of all of the money you will save in the long run!
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That is awesome Julie-does the soap get clothes clean as well as other soaps? I have been wanting to make my own laundry soap since last year. Just wondered if you felt like it cleaned the clothes well. I hate running a load through only to find it isn't really clean yet.
Actually, I've had better success with this soap, than the commercial laundry soap I had been using for years! For tough stains I put some of the soap mixture on the stains, let it sit for about 20 min, and then scrub before I put it in the washing machine...just like you would any stain pre-treatment. The Fels-Naptha part of it is amazing! The Washing Soda acts a lot like Oxi-clean, so it's great with mud, and tough stains!
I tried the Laundry soap and love it! It is working better than my old brand I used! Thanks!