Blessings From Home

Frugal Friday

Since we are going through a bit of financial distress, I'm thinking of making Friday a day that I not only share with you what I am doing to be frugal, but also things that I find along the way in my efforts to be more frugal. This week, I am going to talk about ways I save on laundry.

1. I make my own laundry detergent. Something I know, most of you do. I am amazed at how much we have saved just by doing this. I follow Crystal's recipe here...Homemade Laundry Soap...and living here in Oklahoma, I believe that the products cost a bit less than what Crystal has listed. For instance, I can get a bar of Fels Naptha at the local grocery store for 99 cents, and she gets it for $1.12. So I guess it depends on where you live. So using Crystal's figures, she spends about 71 cents for 2 gallons, and that amount lasts us about 2-3 months, versus a gallon of arm and hammer, what we usually buy for at least $3-4, and it doesn't last us a month. Major savings!

2. I also make our fabric softener. I found this recipe somewhere on the web, and for the life of me can't remember where, but it works great.

You need:

1 gallon container (I used a clean milk jug)

1 cup baking soda

8 cups water

6 cups of white distilled vinegar

10-15 drops of essential oil(optional)

~Put baking soda in container

~Add 1 cup of warm water and swish around to dissolve baking soda a bit.

~SLOWLY add 6 cups of white distilled vinegar.

~Add 7 more cups of water and essential oil and swish around, venting often.

~Vent.

~Use 1 cup per load.

This really helps to get all the soap out of my clothes and the baking soda has really helped keep my whites whiter and the cloth diapers cleaner. I think my clothes have never smelled better and I get to choose whatever smell I want.

3.And last but not least, I make my own stain remover. This is a recipe I got from my mom, who got it from her mom. It has been known to get tar out of the carpet in our van before, and does wonderful with everyday stains in clothes.

You need:

Spray bottle

1 capful of whatever detergent you use. I use 1/2 cup of my homemade detergent.

1 cup of ammonia

1 cup of white distilled vinegar

Put it all in your bottle and shake before use each time. If I have a really stubborn stain, I will put whatever clothing it is in my dishpan, and put this solution in with some water and let it soak overnight. Sometimes I add a little baking soda too.

Well, there you have it. My frugal laundry tips. These are things I have been doing for about a year now, and I really love it. Especially all the money I'm saving. Next Friday, I'll talk about homemade cleaners that I have come to use and love. Hope you enjoyed!

Thanks Sara!

{ 08:42, Friday, August 3, 2007 } { Posted by mommyneedscoffee }

These are great! I also use Crystal's detergent recipe to make my own detergent, but I'm going to try the other two things that you listed as well.

Thanks so much for sharing and I'm looking forward to reading next weeks, too!

Have a great weekend!

Jennifer
MommyNeedsCoffee