I started out with these ingredients, and Rhonda Jean's recipe from her book, although it is on her blog as well at http://down---to---earth.blogspot.com
There are four bars of soap in that pack, and I needed to use two of them.
So I grated 2 bars of soap, with an old cheese grater, and then put it in a bowl with 2 cups each of borax and the soda crystals. I gave it all a jolly good stir and put it into a tub with a lid, and included an old tablespoon measure which I can keep specially for this purpose. Two tablespoons per load is the recommended measure.
I have done two loads of towels with this new mixture, and not only have they come out clean as required, but they smell faintly of soap, which is quite pleasant. I didn't add the essential oil although I might do in future.
And the cost? Very impressive!
The pack of soda crystals cost 99p for the 1kg, and I used 350g, so a cost of 35p.
The borax pack is £1.29 for 500g, of which I used 400g, so that cost £1.03.
The four pack of soap currently costs £1.33 at Tesco, and I used two of the four bars, which cost me 66p.
Total cost is £2.04 for the batch of laundry powder. I then did the boring but predictable thing - I measured how many loads at 2tbsp each I would get from the batch and realised that 30 would be about right, hence a cost per load of just 7p.
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7 comments:
Thanks for this useful tutorial - with helpful costings. Good to know the towels came out clean!
Excuse the next question [tired and a bit dense this evening] but where do you PUT it? in the dispenser drawer, or in a ball thingy in the machine, or straight on top of the washload??
sorry to be a pain!!
blessings x
Angela,
I put it in the dispenser drawer, since it is like a powder.
xx
Thank you for this! Little bear's eczema has been playing up. I have changed to non bio, too early to check. However if this works out, it would be ideal for our washing - please let me know how it does on shirts! WSxxx
Sybil,
We don't have any shirts at the moment as the girls are on summer uniform this term and are wearing polo shirts instead of shirt & tie. However, if this recipe is not enough for shirt collars, there is another recipe which is very similar but to which one adds some powdered laundry bleach, also available from DriPak at about £1.99 a box. Our hardware shop sells it so I bought a box and it successfully removed a bloodstain, so it should work well on collars. The addition of only a cup of this to the recipe boosts it up significantly, it seems.
I will let you know how this stuff goes on some sheets I am just about to wash - the sun is shining so the washing machine must go on!!
xx
Wonderful - I am definitely going to try this out. Thank you x
Interesting to see how the home made stuff goes - I get through A LOT of washing powder with all the sheets and towels from the holiday cottages so usually buy it in bulk from the cash n carry.
Will be trying ASDA smart price this week which works out at 8.4p per load - will report back on its effectiveness!
Slightly worried about the soap bunging up the machine on a low temperature?
This is a good point indeed. I will head over to the Down to Earth forums and ask those who have more experience....watch this space!
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