Sunday, April 4, 2010

Going Green


I have been trying to come up with ways to save money around the house so we can focus on getting Aaron through school without massive debt. One of the first things I wanted to do was make my own laundry detergent. My friend from WA gave me the idea and I was eager to do it but that eagerness was stunted when I couldn't find any of the ingredients! When we moved to CA I kept me eyes open for the ingredients but once again couldn't find them.  Then another friend blogged about her money saving ways and it was the push I need to do it. I researched and found out I could order what I needed and have it shipped to Ace hardware for free. I was also thrilled to find a bright green bucket for under $7 at Wal-Mart.



 For some of you that have done this already, is this what it is supposed to look like??

I am washing my first load of clothes with it now and am excited to see if it can get rid of my stains...
I feel good.. I bought everything for under 18 dollars, made one batch and have plenty ingredients left over to make another batch. I am putting green in my pocket, using a green buckets and using earth friendly 'green' ingredients.  Score!

5 comments:

Chaia said...

never even heard of making home detergent! great idea! i think i will try this myself when i get a bigger apartment. that's so cool!!!

Unknown said...

Hi Jana!
That is too cool that you are making your own- my mom does too! The detergent is supposed to gel a little more and get a bit stiffer, but then we find it turns itno watery stuff with goo lumps, similar to yours. I wonder if they are the same recipes. I think ours only costs a few $$ to make... 1 bar of soap, some borax, water and I'm not sure what else. I can ask her. :)How did your load turn out? It words great for us! :D Hope it was a success!

Melissa Poole <><

Unknown said...

Hi Jana,
My recipe is a bar of soap with 1/2 c borax and 1 cup super washing soda. I found the borax and washing soda at Walmart for just a few dollars for each one. So I figure it's just around $2-$3 for a month supply. My bucket lasts about 5 weeks. This last load I added 1 cup borax and it made it a little thicker.
Barbie

The Roli Poli's said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
The Roli Poli's said...

Hi Barbie and Melissa!
Thanks for you tips and yes we use almost the same recipe.. I used a bar of Fels Naphta soap. The detergent works amazing!! And it works so well on baby stains.