I recently have been cutting costs to try to move the remodel along...unfortunately hubby's truck has absorbed our savings this month (and probably next)...ugh! Tires and other maintenance stuff...
I started making my own household detergents: Laundry, Dishwasher and Dish detergents.
Left: Dishwashing Liquid
Right: Dish Washer Detergent
The Laundry Soap was the biggest pain but the payoff has been nice as I am two thirds of the way through the batch I made a month or more ago. It works fine - just like any other detergent. The only difference is there is no scent. When I make my next batch I am going to incorporate some essential oils. The texture is pretty watery with lumps of gel - this is normal. I have a high efficiency machine and have had no problems.
The Dishwashing Liquid was not as time consuming as the Laundry Soap and has a great consistency. The Octagon Soap used in the recipe has a nice scent but I added grapefruit essential oil too and the results are great! Things (including my hands) definitely get and feel very clean with this soap but it does not make a good lather. The cleaning effect is wonderful so no biggie.
The Dish Washer Detergent is SUPER easy to make and I feel like I've saved a bunch here. Since I have a stockpile of Borax and Arm and Hammer Super Washing Detergent all I have to buy each week is 2-4 packets of Lemonade Kool-Aid which is super cheap compared to the 1-2 bottles of detergent I was used to buy. The dishes are clean but I do use more than the recipe site suggests. The bleaching effect is no where near as great as it was with my store bought detergent but that hasn't been a big deal.
This month's grocery budget was blown...hubby had to go to the store when we were sick and then we had a $200 family trip to Saubel's...better luck in March!
Momma Martha. :)
ReplyDelete