Do you find it cheaper to make your own household cleaners or to buy them (all purpose cleaner, laundry detergent, etc)? If you make your own, do you have any recommendations?
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I have a vinegar water solution that's all purpose, we also make our own liquid laundry detergent. Have been for about 7 years and it's soooo much cheaper. I also use Dr bronner magic Castille soap to refill our foaming hand soup. It's definitely way cheaper than paying like $3 per bottle!
Dr. Bronners - Magic Pure-Castile Soap Organic Citrus Orange - 32 oz. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005P0VQW6/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_6R7Uub0XTG2CZLaundry detergent :
Here's what you'll need.4 cups hot tap water, 1 Ivory soap bar, 1 cup washing soda and 1/2 cup borox.
First, you grate the 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 the way with water. Shake before each use.
To use: On a top load machine, 5/8 cup per load (approx 180 loads); on a front load machine, 1/4 cup per load (approx. 640 loads)
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I make my own laundry detergent, but I buy other cleaners. Our former laundry detergent cost $35 every 4-5 months. I found a recipe for homemade that should cost about $12 per year. So definitely a cost savings, and less chemicals. This is the recipe we use. I made 10 batches at once, and needed one box of 10 bars of soap, one box of borax, and 2 boxes of washing soda (I have some left over for next time). One batch lasts me a little over a month, so 10 batches will hopefully last a year more or less.
Directions from the link below:1 bar (or 4.5 ounces) of shaved bar soap (a homemade laundry bar, Dr. Bronner’s, Ivory, ZOTE, or Fels-Naptha)
1 cup of borax
1 cup of washing sodaThoroughly stir together for 5 minutes and enjoy the results! You can take this a step further and blend the mixture in a blender or food processor to create a powder that will dissolve easily even in cold water. (Just be sure to let the dust settle before removing the lid of your blender or food processor so you don’t inhale the fine particles.) Store in a sealed container with a small scoop.
http://www.diynatural.com/homemade-laundry-detergent-soap/
I keep the bulk amount in a large washed out cat litter container, and keep a month worth at a time in a mason jar. I use the lid of the mason jar to measure a small amount for each load, about 1-2 tablespoons depending on the size of the load.
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I do the vinegar/water combo to use for cleaning (bonus: I spray it on fruit and vegetables to clean them, too). That said, I always keep the heavy duty items on hand since with a dog and toddler, sometimes you just need some Clorox, you know? I do try to use harsh products like that minimally, though. Overall, yes, I would say it's quite a bit cheaper.
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We don't seem to spend a lot. We use All free and clear and that's about $12 from Sam's Club and lasts us a good 6 months. I use less than it suggests though. Then I buy Method all purpose cleaner on sale so that's pretty cheap and lasts quite a while, too. I'm constantly cleaning but for things like counters I just use hot water.
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@regberadaisy: @Mrs. Lion: thank you! I am going to try making the laundry detergent - looks like a fun weekend project that will save us money. Do you purchase the washing soda at Walmart or Target type store or is it better to order online?
@regberadaisy: We love Dr. Bronner's Castile soap too! -
We don't make ours but we use Mrs. Meyers all purpose cleaner and dilute it to use in the spray bottles (as it says on the sides!) to use to clean everything. One bottle of the concentrated stuff lasts us forever. Maybe even a year?
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@autumnleaves: i found them at walmart but not target
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@autumnleaves: all my supermarkets have them in the laundry aisle!
Also baking soda is seriously the shitz. You can bake a cake and clean anything with it. Anything. We buy the big bag from BJ s. I save the baking soda can from the baking aisle and refill with each new opened bag then leave the rest under the sink for multipurpose scrubbing. -
@regberadaisy: can you use the homemade laundry detergent in an HE front loader?
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@looch: you can but I believe most of them have some kind of disclaimer that using one will void their warranty, right? I remember reading something about that?
Eta : my mom used it for a while with their HE front loader but then she got lazy.
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