Laundry may not be my favorite activity, but it is one of the easiest areas to save money in the home. Making your own laundry detergent can save you up to 90% per load, depending on what kind of detergent you currently use. Try out making your own and 9 other tips for saving money on laundry!
Natural DIY Laundry Detergent
Ingredients
2 (4 oz.) Bars of Unscented Castile Soap (in the recyclable paper)
2 lbs of Baking Soda (in recyclable cardboard or bought bulk)
1.5 (7 lb) Boxes of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (in recyclable cardboard)
28 oz Epsom Salt (natural fabric softener)
20 drops of lemon/Purify blend (cleaning and scent)/Pine (Pine busts grease and grimy substances that plague your clothes) essential oil
Rid-X septic tank treatment (the powder kind).
1. Finely grate your bars of Castile soap. Either use a food processor or cheese grater.
2. Mix your grated soap together with baking soda, washing soda, Epsom salt, and your essential oil of choice. I recommend wearing a face mask to avoid inhaling any dust from the mixture.
3. Use 1-3 Tablespoons per a load of laundry, depending on its size and soil level.
4. For heavily soiled clothing, add a teaspoon of Rid-x. The enzymes seem to help lift some of those tougher stains.
Washing soda can sometimes be challenging to find. Most conventional grocery stores and supermarkets should have it in their baking aisle (near baking soda) or laundry aisle (next to detergents).
If you choose to make this in larger quantities, store in a 5-gallon bucket and then dish out a portion into a pretty storage jar for active use.
2. Skip dryer sheets.
If you must use something, use reusable dryer sheets instead. You can find instructions to make your own here.
How to Reduce Laundry & Ironing
3. Hang your towels to dry a couple of times before you put it in the laundry basket/hamper instead of using a fresh one every day.
4. Skip the dryer when you can. Shake and smooth out wrinkles, then hang dry in the sunshine or in your laundry room on a rack.
5. Spot clean items whenever possible, rather than just tossing them instantly into the wash. It’ll save water.
6. Fold items right away after laundering so they don’t wrinkle or collect pet hair.
7. Allow for space between garments in your closets and drawers to avoid wrinkling.
8. Choose quality fibers whenever possible. Quality fabrics like linen and wool tend to wrinkle less.
9. Protect your garments by layering well and covering up with an apron while cooking and cleaning.
10. If your clothes aren’t actually smelly or gross, just don’t wash them yet! Treat your items carefully and avoid over-washing to save water.
No comments:
Post a Comment