Double-Strength Liquid Laundry Soap

Since I have been asked in person, via email, and via a blog comment (hi, Kathy!!) to share my recipe for liquid laundry soap, here it is.  

When my friend Kim shared a recipe for liquid laundry soap with me, my first thought was "where am I going to store TEN GALLONS of laundry soap?!?!"   You may recall that Quirky Cottage is small.  I may not have mentioned that it has no closets.  Ten gallons.  Seriously?

My solution is to make double-strength half-batches, so I only have to store 2 1/2 gallons at a time!   I dispense mine from a drink container with a spigot (these come in pretty colors every summer in the picnic aisle!), but empty laundry detergent bottles work just fine.  I store the remaining laundry soap in big gallon jars, which add enough charm to my laundry area that I don't mind seeing them.  

This recipe is for 5 gallons of double-strength laundry detergent.  It is a modification and compilation of two recipes given to me by friends, without any source.  Thank you, mystery recipe originator, for saving me a bundle of cash :-)!

Double-Strength Liquid Laundry Detergent

1 bar Fels Naptha soap
1 cup washing soda
1 cup borax

Grate soap and melt in saucepan with 4 cups water.  Stir over medium-low heat until completely melted.  Your kitchen will smell very clean and definitely soapy while the soap melts, so don't try doing this while you are cooking dinner.

Fill a 5-gallon bucket half-full of hot tap water.  Stir in washing soda, borax, and melted soap.  Stir thoroughly to mix well and completely dissolve powders.  Fill the bucket to the top with hot water, and stir well.  Then pour into your storage containers (if desired) and let sit overnight to thicken; it will gel.  I have used this immediately after making it, without letting it sit overnight to gel, and it worked just fine.

Stir or shake before using.  Since it gels between uses, store in small enough containers to easily shake, or something into which you can fit a stirrer.

Use 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup per large load.  If you have hard water, you may need slightly more per load.  If you have soft water, you may need less per load.  This is a no-suds cleaner, which is slightly disconcerting at first, if you are used to mounds of soapy bubbles in your washer :-).

YIELD:  5 gallons of laundry soap. 240-320 loads at 1/4 c - 1/3 c per load.

You can use any bar soap, but Fels Naptha works exceptionally well, as it is a laundry bar and stain remover.  I have used Zest, Coast, and Dial.

Fels Naptha is available in the laundry aisle of Walmart, and some HEBs in my area, for $1.

Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda is in the laundry aisle, about $3.15 for a 55 oz box.

20 Mule Team Borax is in the laundry aisle, about $3.50 for a 76 oz box.  

I haven't worked out the cost per batch, but I bought my borax and washing soda in May 2011, and just bought washing soda again in August 2013.  I still have 2/3 box of borax.  Plus, I use both the borax and the washing soda for other cleaning tasks occasionally.   

In 2011-2012 I did 2-3 loads daily.  Since March 2013, I do 1-2 loads daily.  Very cost effective laundry soap!!

Tips:  

Start with the smaller amount of laundry soap.  Using too much soap will leave a residue in your clothing fibers.  

If you notice grime on your agitator or on the basin of your washer above the water line,  increase the amount of laundry soap.  

This laundry soap makes a great spot remover. Check for colorfastness when using it as a pre-treatment, of course.

And that's it!  Our clothes smell fresh and clean, and my child with sensitive skin has had no reactions to this laundry soap.  I believe that is because without suds, it rinses completely out and doesn't leave any residue on our clothes.  

Happy Washing! 

Ten Ways to 'Earn' Money by Not Spending

Thirty years ago, when our first child was born, my husband and I made an informed decision to live on one income.  Over time, we adapted our habits and found ways to avoid spending, thus freeing up dollars to use as we chose.  If you have more time than money (as the saying goes), using your time to contribute to the household economy is a smart way to earn by not spending.  

Here are ten ways to 'earn' money by not spending it :-)

1.  Drink water.

Drinking water and eliminating flavored drinks is one of the biggest boons to our budget.  My children were not raised to expect juice, tea, soft drinks, flavored sugar drinks, and all the thousands of liquids offered instead of plain water.   Occasionally we drink teas, and I like a nice cup of coffee in the morning. But all day long, water is our thirst quencher.  Water with a squeeze of fresh lemon is a real treat!

2.  Cook and bake from scratch using real ingredients.  

Serving real foods will provide more nutrition per meal and satisfy your hunger more thoroughly while keeping your dollars in your pocketbook.  Convenience foods are expensive!  It does not take much more time to measure and mix,  or chop and cook, and the end result is not chock-full of shelf stabilizing preservatives.  Fresh fruits and vegetables are an important part of healthy eating, making idea #3 possible. 

3.  Stay healthy and avoid expensive doctor visits. 

You are what you eat.  You really are. Eventually, constantly eating food that lacks nutritive value results in a body that lacks vigorous health.  Choose to eat for life!   Pack your own lunches, and take snacks when you're out shopping to avoid spending money on fast foods. 

4.  Reduce laundry by reusing bath towels.  

Toweling off clean bodies does not dirty a towel.  Assign a towel to each family member to use and hang up to dry.  The whole family gets clean towels twice a week.  This saves extra wash loads, lowering both water and electric consumption.  The towels last longer, too!

5.  Use cleaning cloths.  

We use both purchased microfiber cloths and retired bath and dish towels for cleaning.  Paper towels are reserved for greasy or nasty messes, making a roll of paper towels last many weeks.  Another plus--my boys and my husband know which "rags" they can use for outdoor work, and never grab the hand towels out of the bathroom, or the dish towels out of the kitchen.  Any more.  

6.  Have fun at home. 

Besides the obvious savings on gasoline and all the attendant costs to going out to movies, theme parks, and family amusements, constant go-go-going takes time away from activities at home. We wanted to give our children the gift of leisure time at home, time to pursue hobbies, play board games, time to lie on the grass and watch clouds or learn constellations, time to ride bikes and climb trees, time to get lost in a book.  Free time at home makes economic sense!  Watch a movie from your home or public library and pop your own corn!

7.  Use the library!  

I am a huge fan of our local library. As long as we return our items in a timely way, books, movies, magazines, and a host of other items are free!  There are free classes and clubs, and free wi-fi. 

8.  Treasure hunt. 

Embrace clothing hand-me-downs (especially for children), and the art of sharing with friends who are the same size as you are.  My favorite thrift store can quadruple the spending power of every dollar on quality goods.   Freecycle, garage sales, and swaps are all great ways to avoid spending full price on necessary clothing and household items. 

9.  Line dry your clothes. 

There is a trade-off in convenience vs. savings when line-drying clothes, and some neighborhoods prohibit this thrifty practice.  But my wind-powered-solar-clothes-dryer has provided fresh smelling crisp clothes while saving a bundle on bills.  When the children were young, the laundry hanging time was outdoor playing time, and as they grew tall enough to reach the clothesline, we shared the job.  

10.  Make it yourself. 

We make almost all of our cleaning products, and save more than I could through coupon use.  We make our own shampoos and hair conditioners.  Cultivating hobbies that save us money and contribute to the household allows us to make gifts at a great savings, whether clothing, home decor, food specialties, or toys.  With Pinterest and crafty bloggers, you'll never run out of ideas and recipes to use for gifts!  

We live in a two-income society, but it is possible to happily thrive on a small income.  It takes some out-of-the-box thinking, and purposeful living to change the way you think about and use money. 

My friend Holly, who is a fellow thrifty mom, blogs regularly on stretching those hard-earned dollars through couponing and gardening, and shares great thoughts and yummy recipes.  We thought it would be fun to post on the same topic, as we are all looking for ways to do the best we can with what we have.  Be sure to pop on over to WhollyHolly at http://thewhollyholly.blogspot.com/ 

and find her post on Ten Ways to Earn by not Spending!

I would love for you to share your ideas in the comments!!