Homemade Laundry Soap

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Have I mentioned before how much I love Pinterest!?!  I decided to try out the laundry detergent I found on there.  This one is for a liquid!  I didn’t have a 5 gallon bucket and I just wanted to make a small batch to try it out.  My husband is still a little skeptical.  I am hoping he will like it too!  I cut down the recipe and only made 1 gallon.

When I was cooking the soap to melt it, the whole house smelled so fresh and clean!  I loved that!  I was wondering if I would need to add a fragrance to it, I love scented laundry soap, but this clean smell is really nice!  I am loving it!!  I am having a hard time leaving it alone and letting it sit.  It is supposed to sit overnight and then stir it again. I put mine in my 1 gallon Tea Pitcher with the spout.  Was hoping I could just pour it out but I think I will have to put it in jugs so I can shake it before I pour it.   I can’t wait to try it out!  Hoping I will love it and will make up the full recipe this weekend!  At least when I run out and need more I will only have to pay $1 for the Fels-Naptha soap bars! 

Some people where asking me where I found all my stuff.  Our Wal-Mart actually had it all!  Actually I think I got the Borax at Crest, our grocery store, but I do think Wal-Mart has it as well.  Total cost of everything was about $12 but I have pretty much the whole box of Borax and Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda, so I will be searching some more recipes.  I did find a dishwasher soap recipe that used those but it called for the whole box of both… maybe I will cut that down too! 

So… if you make the full batch it should last up to a year.  One recipe I was looking at said it lasted her about 9 months but she has 3 boys.  But still, $12 for 9 months of laundry detergent!?!  Really?  Come on, that is still saving a lot!!

Here’s the link for the detergent

Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent

She even has links on where to find stuff if you can’t find it at stores near you!

 And here is the recipe from The Duggar Family Site 

4  Cups - hot tap water
1  Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*
½ Cup Borax

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.
-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.
-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)
-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.
-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.
-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)
-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

*Arm & Hammer "Super Washing Soda" - in some stores or may be purchased online here (at Meijer.com). Baking Soda will not work, nor will Arm & Hammer Detergent - It must be sodium carbonate!!

Off to make some of my own dryer sheets now!  Will post about that later!

*since I had most the laundry already done I have only gotten to do 1 load with this soap.  I like it.  It seems to be doing just like the more expensive stuff.   I am surprised that I like the plain clean smell to it too.  So far so good!  Will let you know when I get to use more of it.


* As of Nov 15th I am still loving it!  I love the bucket too because you can toss stuff in to soak overnight.  Posting about that here... 

Homemade Frebreze

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So when everyone started talking about Pinterest I didn’t see what the big deal was. I just didn’t get it.  Now I know!!  I love that place!  There are so many great tips out there. 

I just typed in homemade tonight and found this wonderful homemade recipe for Febreze.  I love Febreze but hate the price of it.  Now I can make my own, whenever I want with whatever smell I want! 

Here’s the recipe and where I got it from.

Fake Febreeze by Fake It Frugal

 

 

1/8 Cup of Your Favorite Fabric Softener

2 Tablespoons Baking Soda

Hot Tap Water - To Fill the Bottle to the Top

Shake it up in your Spray Bottle and you're ready to go and fight those Stinky Dog Odors!

 

She even breaks down how much you are saving by making it yourself! 

Crafty Tuesday

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Welcome to Crafty Tuesday!  Crafty Tuesday is to share with others your craftiness, either with things you have made (craftiness or baking because that’s crafty too!) little ideas on fun things with the kids or something cute you have found that you would like to make!  Please feel free to link up and take the button in the sidebar on the right hand side!  Thanks!!!

Frugal Beauty: Eye Makeup Remover

I can’t remember how I saw this idea but I thought it was really neat idea and decided to give it a try.  I am not sure how she did it, if all the q-tips were immersed in the olive oil or if she soaked them in it and then put them in the jar. Here’s the site I saw the idea on.

Frugally Green: Frugal Beauty

I didn’t have any olive oil but I did have grape seed oil and I Googled Grape Seed Oil Eye Makeup remover and there were several sites that said it was fine so I went with it.  I just added some to the container and then put the q-tips in.  I can always dip the other side in when I need to. 

These containers my mom gave me years ago.  I had them in the kitchen with some basil and oregano in them but they had just been sitting there unused for years.  Cleaned them out and put the eye makeup remover in one and my eye makeup remover/face scrubbies in the other one.  Turned out pretty cute!!