Going crazy with the homemade soaps and detergents!
One of my goals in 2012 (I don't like calling it a resolution) is to be more self reliant and less reliant on government and store bought products in general. I know I can't stop buying raw materials at the store BUT I can buy things like washing soda, borax, etc that can make me 10 gallons of laundry detergent without going back and back and back to the store and paying more and more and more taxes, wasting time and paying 5-10 times more for a product that is full of carcinogenics and chemicals when I can make homemade and organic.
I started with making laundry soap. I used a recipe I found on Pinterest.
1 gallon of water (boil)
1 cold gallon of water
1 cup of borax
1 cup of washing soda
1 bar of Ivory bar soap (graded with a cheese grader)
I also added some lavender tea tree oil- which was not on the "recipe"
*I found all of these products at my local Kroger*
I boiled one gallon of water, added the bar of soap, the borax and the washing soda. After the soap was dissolved, I added in the 2nd cold gallon of water. I let it sit and that was it. I emptied it back into some liquid detergent containers. I fill up the cup per load. It cost $7 (bar soap was in a 3 pack, borax and washing soda was a big box) to have the stuff on hand, and I can make 6 gallons without buying more soap but even when I run out of bar soap, I can just go back for that. I am no math wiz but it is far far cheaper than Tide, Gain or any of the other "nice" brands. Next time I am going to try with organic lavender soap and make powdered detergent.
Today I learned about making homemade hand soap! I was running low on some that we've had for almost a year- I believe it was slightly less than 1/2 gallon- and I saw them at Kroger today for $6. I bought a bar of organic lavender bar soap ($4) and some liquid glycerin ($2), so I have $6 in materials to make ORGANIC hand soap...and DOUBLE the amount at that...it is going to make a gallon. Here is what I did:
1 bar of soap- graded with a cheese grader
1 gallon of water boiling
2 tbs of liquid glycerin
I boiled the water, added the soap shavings, let it dissolve and added the glycerin. Then it sits for 10 hours (which it is sitting now). If it is clumpy use a hand mixer to smooth it- add water if needed. I have a big gallon set aside ready and waiting for it. You could use a non organic bar of soap and make it even a lot cheaper but even with organic soap you get at least a 50% savings.
I should have taken pictures!
I started with making laundry soap. I used a recipe I found on Pinterest.
1 gallon of water (boil)
1 cold gallon of water
1 cup of borax
1 cup of washing soda
1 bar of Ivory bar soap (graded with a cheese grader)
I also added some lavender tea tree oil- which was not on the "recipe"
*I found all of these products at my local Kroger*
I boiled one gallon of water, added the bar of soap, the borax and the washing soda. After the soap was dissolved, I added in the 2nd cold gallon of water. I let it sit and that was it. I emptied it back into some liquid detergent containers. I fill up the cup per load. It cost $7 (bar soap was in a 3 pack, borax and washing soda was a big box) to have the stuff on hand, and I can make 6 gallons without buying more soap but even when I run out of bar soap, I can just go back for that. I am no math wiz but it is far far cheaper than Tide, Gain or any of the other "nice" brands. Next time I am going to try with organic lavender soap and make powdered detergent.
Today I learned about making homemade hand soap! I was running low on some that we've had for almost a year- I believe it was slightly less than 1/2 gallon- and I saw them at Kroger today for $6. I bought a bar of organic lavender bar soap ($4) and some liquid glycerin ($2), so I have $6 in materials to make ORGANIC hand soap...and DOUBLE the amount at that...it is going to make a gallon. Here is what I did:
1 bar of soap- graded with a cheese grader
1 gallon of water boiling
2 tbs of liquid glycerin
I boiled the water, added the soap shavings, let it dissolve and added the glycerin. Then it sits for 10 hours (which it is sitting now). If it is clumpy use a hand mixer to smooth it- add water if needed. I have a big gallon set aside ready and waiting for it. You could use a non organic bar of soap and make it even a lot cheaper but even with organic soap you get at least a 50% savings.
I should have taken pictures!
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