We’ve all seen claims of great hacks out there in the lovely world of the internet, but personally, they rarely turn out to actually be great, and sometimes they don’t work at all. But when you are trying to save money around the house you’re willing to experiment, or I am anyways. So, if you’re not willing, or too busy to experiment, here’s what I’ve found that works best for our family’s needs.
Fabric softener
We haven’t purchased fabric softener in years, we simply didn’t use any. Then I found my towels just weren’t great and I didn’t not desire to use regular fabric softener for personal reasons, so I went looking for solutions. I’ve found several and adapted them to work for me. Here’s what I came up with.
Ingredients
- 4 cups of vinegar
- ½ cup baking soda
- 1 cup or hot water
- Essential oils – optional
Supplies
- A large bowl – at least 10 cups in size or larger.
- A whisk
- Measuring cups
- A funnel
- Containers – mason jars with sealable lids work well
Instructions
Start by adding 2 cups of vinegar and 1 cup of hot water into the large bowl.
SLOWLY add the baking soda, whisk as you add to limit the size of your volcano.
Once the baking soda is added, whisk until it seems to be mostly dissolved.
Next slowly add the remaining 2 cups of vinegar, whisking as you go as bubbles will continue to form.
Using the funnel, pour the mixture into the containers. Be sure to leave at least an inch of space at the top of the jar, as the mixture continues to produce a small amount gasses when agitated.
If you desire to use essential oils, this is where you can add 10 drops to every 1-liter container. Personally, I use lavender for sheets and towel, a citrus blend for everyday clothes. I do not used any essential oils for the whites as I’m worried it may stain, but that’s just me. Play around, add more or less, use different blends, this is all up to your personal preference.
Also, I make two batches, made separately, and divide it among three jars (one lavender, one citrus, and one plain)
NOTE – Give the jar a shake before using.
NOTE – You can fill the fabric softener section of the washer, if desired you can also add another tablespoon directly to the washer.
Laundry detergent
This one took the most experimenting. A few years back we were given soap nuts, sometimes called soap berries, as a present. We were super excited and started using them right away. After a few times of doing the laundry I noticed my clothes weren’t coming as clean as they should, so we stopped using them. But, when you’re trying to be frugal and you’ve got a big bag of soap nuts sitting around you become determined. So, I started researching and as it turns out soap nuts don’t release their soap properties unless they’ve been heated in hot water. Since I’m a cold water only laundry doer, there’s the explanation for why they didn’t seem to work. After some experimenting here’s my recipe for home made laundry detergent using soap nuts.
Ingredients
- Approximately 25 soap nuts
- 10 cups of water
- 2 teaspoons of salt (increases lifespan of detergent)
- Essential oils – again these are optional
Supplies
- A large pot
- A measuring cup
- A teaspoon
- A funnel
- A strainer
- A spoon for stirring
- Containers and lids that have a tight seal
Instructions
Add the soap nuts and water to the large pot and bring to a boil. Watch it closely as we are making a soap here and bubbles do form and can overflow quickly.
Turn down the temp, cover the pot and allow to simmer for 1.5 hours or until the soap nuts look almost grey in colour.
Strain the soap nuts from the liquid.
Mix the salt in about two tablespoons of hot water and mix until dissolved. Then add to the detergent and mix well.
Next, when the detergent is cooled, using the funnel add to containers leaving at least one inch of space at the top.
Here is when you can add your essential oils if desired. Add approximately 10-15 drops per 1-liter of detergent. I personally don’t use any in the detergent and only use some in the fabric softener.
NOTE – Detergent only lasts 2 weeks. If stored in the fridge the lifespan can be stretched to 6 weeks. I leave one jar by the washer and store the other in the fridge. Also, marking the date in which it was made right on the container helps to keep track.
NOTE – I do not use this detergent for any of our undergarments. I wash these separately with detergent purchased from the store. This is to make sure our undergarments are extra clean, especially for us ladies.
