The "flap" on how to make your own liquid laundry soap will save you money!
Whether you're irritated or have resigned yourself to high prices at the supermarket, it's an issue that's not going to right itself anytime soon.
We can blame inflation on the President - who is powerless to lower prices due to our capitalistic system, or we can complain that Congress is too busy infighting (and won't act because the price-gouging companies/CEO's donate liberally to their re-election campaigns), or we can actually do something about it through self-empowerment.
Here's the flap on how to save money by making your own "mix and use" liquid laundry soap!
Recently, I've decided to revisit the days when I was a do-it-yourself kinda gal and made all my own body care and household products while living on my Utah homestead.
Older, and now living in a condo in Idaho, I'm re-empowering myself - and saving money - by making my own laundry soap as well as other products most of us purchase at the market.
In my homesteading days I made bath soap, and my grandmothers laundry soap which I grated, melted, added few more ingredients thereby creating my own laundry soap powder which worked well and everything subtly smelled of lavender because of the lavender essential oil I added to the mixture.
These days most folk are just too busy to make soap from scratch, grate it and turn it into laundry powder, so I've engineered an easy-to-make laundry liquid that will get your clothes clean and save you lots of money!
You'll need a few supplies, but the initial outlay is likely to be less than a large box or bottle of laundry detergent, and your supplies will make many gallons of laundry liquid! The list of needful items is as follows...
Dr. Bonners lavender or peppermint liquid castile soap (in a pinch you can use any liquid soap you already have...dish soap, liquid handsoap, etc., and baking soda,washing soda, borax, essential oil/s of peppermint and/or lavender.
Borax and washing soda are found in the laundry/household cleaning aisles of most supermarkets. I've also found them at hardware stores.
Buy a large bag or box of baking soda (you'll be able to use this in other cleaning products I'll show you in future posts.
Water is the remaining ingredient.
There's no making or grating or melting of soap. We simplify the process by using liquid soap products.
I try to match the essential oils I use to the scent of the liquid soap. If you use an unscented liquid soap you can use lemon, orange, or other essential oils you prefer...just use 50 drops instead of 40.
You'll need a clean, empty one gallon jug, or two or three smaller jugs for storing your laundry soap.
Easy-to-make laundry soap.
Recipe: Liquid Laundry Soap (makes slightly less than one gallon)
1/2 cup Dr. Bonner's lavender, peppermint or plain liquid soap
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup washing soda
1/4 cup Borax
40 to 50 drops of essential oil of choice (lavender or peppermint)
Scant 1 gallon of water
Heat a quart of water in a microwaveable container to boiling, or boil the water in a pan on the stove.
Add borax, washing soda, and baking soda and stir until dissolved. Allow to cool.
Pour a quart of plain, cool water into your gallon container. Add the borax and soda mixture.
Add the liquid soap and essential oils. Stir or gently swirl the jug to mix the ingredients.
Top off the jar with plain water - leaving about 8oz headroom. Leaving headroom allows you to shake the jug to remix the ingredients before each use.
You'll use...
1/4 cup for small loads
1/3 cup for medium loads
1/2 cup for large loads
If you have an HE (high efficiency) washer, use half the recommended amounts shown above.
*A mess proof solution for avoiding a sticky measuring cup is to toss the laundry liquid and the measuring cup into the washer. I use and re-use the large plastic measuring cap of previously purchased laundry detergent for this. Of course, whatever measuring cap or cup you use must be plastic! Both laundry and cup come out of the wash clean!
I use empty, clean one-gallon vinegar jugs for my homemade liquid laundry soap. You can use clean, well-rinsed bleach jugs, or you can simply use an empty laundry detergent jug.
Your laundry room will smell so good on wash day that you'll actually enjoy the task! However, the scent may dissipate in the heat of the dryer.
You can toss a clean cotton cloth, scented with a few drops of essential oil, into the dryer at the end of the drying cycle. Then allow the clothes to tumble on the "no heat" cycle for a few minutes.
By making your own liquid laundry soap you'll empower yourself and enrich your own pocketbook instead of companies that are overcharging for their products and getting even richer by doing so.
*Notes:
If you have smelly gym or work clothes wash those with the peppermint soap/essential oil liquid mixture. Your clothes will not smell like peppermint, but subtly clean and fresh.
For bed linens and bath towels, I use the lavender mixture, dry the linens, then add a lavender-scented cloth to the dryer and run it on the "no heat" cycle for about five minutes.
In future posts, I'll share other products you can make that will get your home clean, save you money, and prevent exposure to harsh chemicals.
The next post is my most recent forest walk and what I found there to gather and enjoy!
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