Made a batch of laundry soap

[mom-from-missouri]

Made it this week. After doing the math, it comes out to a penny a load. I still have ingredents left, so this week later I will make some automatic dish soap with the common ingredents of part of whats left (and will still have some ingredents left). It to will be about a penny a load.

If anyone wants the recipes, they are on my homeschool blog site (which should be by my signature line. The closest Walmart used to carry the ingredents, but doesn't anymore. However, Hy-Vee store does.

The batch I made totaled 10 gallons, that will last me a year, probably longer since I now have the bigger front loader washer. I normally do a load every 2 days, so my laundry soap for 2009 is costing me $1.83.

Soap for my automatic dishwasher is costing me $3.65 for the year.

I have enough left to probably make another 3 batches of automatic dish soap, or to use to spot clean super dirty laundry - or to put in the carpet shampooer......

So, hows that for frugal??

[SnoopyCool]

I've also read that using a couple of squirts of Simple Green with washing soda will really, really clean your laundry. I haven't tried it because I haven't been able to find washing soda (though I know I can get it online).

[SacredFaerie]

I love things like this. I try to make what I can from scratch when it's cheaper. I feel a great sense of accomplishment afterwards as well.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Mom-from Missouri, knowing that you live on a farm, it surprises me that you find a true soap mixture sufficient for your laundry. I mix up small batches of such soap, but usually just add any washing soda or borax directly to the washer at the time of use. I use it on barely dirty clothes, such as those my husband wears to his office. It is sufficient for that. And in winter I don't get my own clothes as dirty, so I can use it. In warmer weather I get my clothes very dirty working in the garden, and I find real detergent --not soap-- works better. If I get oily stains on my clothes, such as from cooking, (or, eh, sloppy eating ) I find detergent is much better. Also, I think people in hard water areas would not find soap nearly as good as detergent.

[mom-from-missouri]

It seems to work well for us.
We each have 1 pair of designated chore coveralls which we wear outside during the winter. They take the majority of the dirt. We slip them on over our clothes when we go out, and they get hung back up in the garage by the door when we come in.
We have a similar system during the spring summer & fall. I have a pair of uninsulated cardhart bibs that I slip on over my work clothes, and a pair of old bibs I cut off that I usually put on for the garden work. They too hang on my hook in the garage and take the majority of the dirt.
We have never had trouble with our septic tank & evaporation pond. However, I notice that when we use store detergents, we do get a white foam scum like floating on top the pond. When I use the homemade soap (or sometimes I buy it at the Amish store), we don't have that floating on the pond.
I also think having the washer I now have helps a lot too. It is a Bosch front loading and "senses" the dirt to adjust the load time. But the longest I have had a load run was 1 hr and 25 minutes for a rug where everyone takes their boots off at by the garage door. It got the rug clean as new.