Homemade cleaning products are all over Pinterest.
I’ve seen them but haven’t been that interested. Getting out of bed, getting the kids to school, and getting dinner on the table, is enough for me some days. And why would I want to go to the trouble of making something when I could just go buy it? You gotta pick and choose your to-do list as mother.
But then I talked to my friend and sister in law about different homemade supplies. They made it seem doable, not too scary, and worth it. They were telling me how cheap it is compared to the store bought products.
The idea of saving lots of money appealed to me (because I am trying to be thrifty), so I moved homemade cleaning products on to the “maybe I will try that” list.
Then I started reading here about how homemade cleaners have less chemicals and are less toxic and are better for the environment. I was finally convinced to move homemade cleaning products to my official “to-do” list.
I decided to start slow and small and work through a natural progression. I would use the store bought cleaners I already had until they ran out and then I would slowly integrate homemade products into my cleaning supplies.
The first homemade product I wanted to try was Laundry Detergent.
I found the pin and read the Homemade Laundry Detergent blog post. I also read the 217 comments. You can learn as much from comments as you can from blog posts. I read comments like
“a year’s worth of laundry for $20”
“I did some math after making this detergent. Depending on whether you are using 1 or 2 tablespoons, this recipe will wash 195-390 loads! The ingredients cost me just over $19 so that works out to 5-10 cents per load! You can’t beat that bargain.”
“By far the BEST laundry soap I have ever used. I also use the Purex Crystals. I love how this smells. It only took me around 20 minutes to put together but has saved me so much time. I don’t have to run to the store every month to by detergent! I have been using my first batch for about 4 months and am only around half way through and I do A LOT of laundry. I will never go back to store bought detergent.”
I gained confidence that maybe I could do this and that it would be worth it. I went shopping and got all the ingredients at Wal-Mart.
I spent about $12 (not including the Oxi Clean. I already have a big box of that from Costco.) I estimate the total ingredients for the homemade laundry detergent cost me about $20 which is what I spend on one container of liquid laundry detergent now. The difference is the store bought container lasts me 1 month at the most, whereas the homemade recipe is supposed to last for 6 months to 1 year depending on how many loads you do. This is definitely thrifty.
And I just might actually make the homemade recipe this weekend.
I also bought the supplies for a homemade veggie wash and a homemade stain remover.
I hope you aren’t disappointed that I actually haven’t made the detergent or other cleaning supplies yet. I wanted to give you a post that showed how some of us work– slow, over time, with baby steps. And I can make it seem too easy if I just write it all down in one post like it was just something I decided to whip up one day.
So note that all I have done thus far is
talked to some friends
decided to try this
read a post and its comments
shopped at Wal-Mart
All those tasks are doable when you break it down, right?
Now all I have to do is make the cleaning supplies. And that actually seems like the easy part.
I am excited to try my new thrifty laundry detergent and other cleaning supplies. I will let you know how it goes.
![I spoke in church today and said the Atonement of Jesus Christ is the greatest act of Charity. I read Moroni 7:45-47 to make my point. But wherever there was the word ‘Charity’ I substituted it out for ‘the Atonement of Jesus Christ.’ See if these scripture verses now have new meaning for you:
“And the Atonement of Jesus Christ suffererth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth in the truth,
[The Atonement of Jesus Christ] beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not the Atonement of Jesus Christ, ye are nothing, for the Atonement of Jesus Christ never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto the Atonement of Jesus Christ, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail-
But the Atonement of Jesus Christ is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.”
So Easter really reminds us of love. The first and greatest commandment.](https://www.raisinglemons.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed-pro/img/placeholder.png)
I’m excited to hear how it works for you. I like the idea of the “baby steps” because as a perfectionist, I would love to do all those things immediately, but then it is overwhelming and so I end up doing nothing. Thanks for your inspiration to this “non-perfectionist in training”.
ps…I am really curious to hear about the laundry soap…I LOVE good smelling laundry (not just that it doesn’t smell dirty),so I’m wondering if the homemade can do that for me. Also, I have a front loading washer and have heard rumors that the homemade stuff builds up or isn’t good for the machine. I’m looking forward to your updates! Thanks Tiffany for paving the trail of eco-friendly, thriftiness for me!
Jennifer, You should go to the comments section of the blog post I linked to. There are several comments on there about front loading machines. And a lot of the women added some kind of scent to the homemade recipe. There were several different suggestions on what to use.
keep us posted if it works well. With boys a good laundry detergent is what I rely on for all the stains I don’t catch…which is A LOT!
Stacey, my SIL swears by stain remover I put in the post. She says it gets out stains even after they have been through the dryer. My friend uses the soap bar (Fels Naptha) and just rubs it right on to the stain. She has been really impressed with that.
What are you waiting for with the stain remover!?! 😉 Once you use it you’ll rave about it just as much as me. Anxious to hear what you think.
I just have a container full of store bought stain remover that I am using up first. Don’t want to waste that.
The stain remover is AMAZING! It is the only thing that gets out newborn mustard poop (too much?). You will love it. I’m interested to see how the detergent works….I’m kind of a Tide snob.
Hydrogen peroxide and soda made into a paste cleaned my sink when nothing else would get the stains off the old surface, it also works wonders at removing baked on grease from cookie sheets, etc.
I did it. I made the laundry detergent today and it was so stinkin’ easy! especially if you have a food processor to grate the soap. Why do I wait on such simple things?
I started with homemade washing powder (hated hand grating, so got a food processor on it). Love it. Also onto the vinegar with detergent spray for bathroom cleaning… Not tried anything else, but those to cover off my most used!
I just started using lavender essential oil in my dryer and I absolutely love the scent it leaves on our clothes. No dryer sheets needed. Add some drops of your fav essential oil in a small towel or rag {I used a newborn hat/cap from my youngest bb} and added the drops on it {about 7} and in the dryer it went. Oh, it smells so good. On that cap I also have 2 safety pins attached to it to avoid static in clothes. Enjoy!
Thanks for the tips, Vicky! I will have to try this. Do you do drops every load or does the rag last more than one load? Also, static is a big problem for me. I can’t believe 2 safety pins works. I will have to try it. Thank you!