Here's the scenario - It's Sunday night at 9:30, I'm on the phone with my neighbor and starting the mounds of laundry that have accumulated over the weekend. I'm leaving on Monday morning at 8:00 to go to my mom's for three days to celebrate Christmas before Christmas. I realize I'm out of laundry detergent, uugghhh. What to do? Options are -
- run to Kroger and get more (it's less than five minutes away)
- take up my sweet neighbor's offer to borrow from her
- skip the laundry and wait to face it until I get home
- or make my own
I quit buying detergent several weeks ago and I really didn't want to go back out on a freezing cold night for my dumb mistake and I didn't want my neighbor doing that either. I decided to skip the laundry and face it later. Not because I was out of detergent but because the washer (six months old!) started pouring water from its front door! I thought I could handle dirty clothes later better than I could at the moment. After I got home from my mom's with a jug of detergent, I cautiously started washing again. I guess the washer is like me, sometimes it just needs a break and has had no more leaks.
About the making my own detergent? Well, I had heard that some friends were making theirs, but I assumed it was too much trouble. I'm not sure why, but I googled recipes for laundry detergent and came up with several options. I chose to try the recipe that used ingredients I had in the house and tried it out. It was easy, quick, and I could use the soap I knew wouldn't hurt Lydia's eczema. Here it is:
Using my cheese grater, I grated one bar of soap into a small boiler and covered it with water. I heated it on medium on the stove until the shavings were melted in, stirring occasionally. Then I poured it into my large laundry detergent holder and added two gallons of hot water. After shaking that up, I added two cups of baking soda and shook it again. The consistency is pretty thin and I give the jug a little shake every time I use it. You can play around with the amount you need for each load but I think it takes about a half of cup per load. So far Lydia's eczema doesn't seem to be affected either way by it; it gets stinky basketball clothes clean; it's not too hard to make and it's pretty cheap.
2 comments:
I've been thinking of making laundry detergent, both for economy and for sensitive skin, but it's just not practical for this season of life... hopefully soon, though. My sister-in-law and mother-in-law have both been making laundry soap for a few months now, and they "make" softener, as well. Both have front-loaders and have been very pleased with the results -- and the savings! Here are the recipes they use: http://griffithfamilyjournal.blogspot.com/2009_04_01_archive.html (sorry, I don't know how to make that a direct link, so just use cut and paste).
Thanks for sharing your family life with us!
Thanks Suzanne, I looked at their recipes. I may try adding the borax to mine if I can remember to buy it. I still use fabric softener but I dilute it with one part softener to two parts water. I have found that athletic clothes have too much static if I reduce it anymore.
It's time for your family visit to North Ga isn't it?
Lori
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