Am I REALLY Saving Money? Homemade Laundry Detergent

April 7, 2014 by Laurie Nguyen 35 Comments

 

Before we begin, I have a quick reminder.  Don’t forget to check out my April Giveaway here!  And please visit my sponsor’s page.  🙂  Thanks!

 

When I first made my own laundry detergent and posted it on Facebook, telling all my friends how much money I saved, my husband said, “We have enough money to buy laundry detergent!”  And he’s right.  We do.  So, why in the world would I make my own?

1.  I like knowing exactly what’s in the things I use.

2.  I have a son with allergies who needs a fragrance free detergent.

3.  Every penny I save I can put toward building my food storage.

 

So, does it really save money to make my own detergent?  Let’s see.  We’ll start with the “recipe.”  I came up with this after reading several recipes online and took what I liked from a few of them, and I came up with this recipe.

 

Homemade Laundry Detergent

 

1 box Borax

1 box Super Washing Soda (you can make your own from baking soda)

1 3-lb box Baking Soda

1 bar Fels Naptha

2 bars Ivory soap (or castille soap)

 

Finely grate the soap using a box grater or a food processor.  Mix grated soap together with Borax, Washing Soda, and Baking Soda.  Store in a sealed container.  Use 1/8 cup per full-size load of laundry.  Makes 20 cups (160 loads).

 

Here’s my photo step-by-step.

 

Here are my ingredients.

 

I used a box grater and grated my soap.

 

It looks a bit like Colby Jack cheese, doesn’t it?

I got a bit lazy at the end and switched to the largest size on the box grater.  Again, it looks like cheese.

 

I added my Borax, Washing Soda, and Baking Soda and stirred everything to combine.

 

Then I poured it into the bucket I use for my laundry detergent.

 

See? I got this (for free) from the bakery at a local grocery store. Many bakeries receive their icing in buckets which are single-use buckets. Many stores are willing to give their customers these buckets if they ask. I did, and they did.  I had to wash it well before I used it, but it is the perfect container with a lid and everything!

 

Pretty easy, huh?  It takes about 15 minutes total.  Grating the soap makes up most of that time.  The question remains: Is it worth it?  Does it save money?  Let’s see…

 

Cost of Ingredients

 

Borax – $3.97

Super Washing Soda – $3.24

Baking Soda – $1.53 (I buy mine in bulk at Costco.  If you buy it at Wal-mart, it’s $2.24)

Fels Naptha – $0.97

Ivory Soap – $0.80 (I bought mine in a 10 pack.  This is the cost of 2 bars.)

 

Total Cost – $10.51/160 loads = 6.5 cents per load

 

 

Grocery Store Prices (Powdered laundry detergents)

Tide – $18.99/102 loads = 18.6 cents per load

Store brand (fragrance/color free) – $6.99/40 loads = 17.4 cents per load

Surf – $10.99/120 loads = 9.1 cents per load

Store brand (regular)  – $9.99/120 loads = 8.3 cents per load

 

Warehouse Club Prices (Powdered laundry detergents)

Tide – $26.37/160 loads = 16.5 cents per load

Surf – $13.57/180 loads = 7.5 cents per load

 

Conclusion – I am saving between 1 cent and 12.1 cents per load, depending on where I buy my powdered laundry detergent and what brand I buy.  As Tide is one of my favorite brands, and I like this as much as Tide, I am saving a ton of money.  If I compare it to a less expensive brand, such as Surf, I am not saving quite as much.

 

Is it worth it to me?  You bet!  I know exactly what’s in my detergent and my allergy prone son has no problems with this.  I liked the detergent enough that I made it a second time.  Next time, I think I’ll try making liquid laundry detergent.

What about you? 

Do you think it is worth making your own laundry detergent?