Why I (Still) Don't Use Homemade Laundry Detergent
It was the early 2000s when I first heard about DIY laundry detergent. One "real life" friend told me she saved $10 with each batch of laundry soap she made at home. Other people I knew raved about the all-natural ingredients they used. Of course, as a frugal homesteading mama, I had to give it a try...But once I did make and use homemade laundry soap, I was less than thrilled.Money Saving???
First, there was the challenge of finding the correct ingredients. I was unable to find them in my hometown, which was a huge drawback, since I tried to shop only locally. However, the next time I was in a larger town, I found everything but washing soda. I chose to use baking soda instead - even though I know there is a difference between the two. (Washing soda is stronger and more harsh than baking soda.) I was also unable to find Fels-Naptha bar soap, which I'd read was ideal, so I substituted Ivory bar soap, which people also commonly use when making laundry detergent at home. This was 2011, and my total cost was $6.17.
I then went home and prepared my homemade detergent. It took about 3 minutes, with interruptions from my kids, and when I was done, I had about half the detergent I'd normally purchase in one box. I'd also used up all the ingredients I bought, minus a small amount of Borax.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});After using this DIY laundry soap, our clothes both looked and smelled clean. However, I noticed on subsequent loads that little bits of the grated Ivory soap did not dissolve during the washing (even when I used hot water). Instead, they stuck to the clothes and I ended up having to pick off these pieces of soap before putting the laundry in the dryer. What a pain...
And I saved very little. At the time, I was paying $12.47 for a 14.4 lb. box of Arm & Hammer laundry detergent. By making my own laundry soap, I saved a whopping $0.07.
When I posted the results of my experiment on this blog, many people simply didn't believe it. They told me over and over that it was much cheaper to make laundry soap - and since my local Wal-Mart had begun to carry all the needed ingredients, I priced out the ingredients - again. This time, they came to $7.55. In other words, they cost more now, yet my Arm & Hammer detergent was still the same price. It was now cheaper to buy my laundry detergent. (Remember, the homemade recipe only made half of what was in the store bought box.)
Soap Scum Mess
Since that time, I've learned there are more problems with DIY laundry detergent. First, it contains soap. That might seem like a DUH! but while we (me included!) often use the words "detergent" and "soap" interchangeably, they are actually two distinct things.
Soap is fat-based and breaks down materials that dissolve in water and oil. However, because of its fat base, soap is difficult to wash away when exposed to textured surfaces (such as fabric). Detergent, on the other hand, is synthetic and captures dirt on fabric more readily - and then suspends it in water, which allows it to easily wash away.
So how did our ancestors get away with using soap for their laundry? Friction. They vigorously scrubbed their clothes on a washboard (or some similar surface). Today's washing machines, though, don't provide that kind of friction; they agitate clothes gently. Simply put, they are designed to work with detergent, not soap. Therefore, if you use soap in your washing machine, you're leaving your clothes soap-scummy...Plus, that scumminess gets into parts of your washing machine that you can't access to clean. Eventually, the build up can ruin your machine.
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So what if you leave out the soap in your homemade "detergent?" Unfortunately, all you're left with is Borax, washing soda, or maybe baking soda - and these are just water softeners.
But My Laundry Looks Clean!
If you've been using homemade laundry "detergent" for a while, and swear your clothes look and smell clean, I challenge you to strip your laundry. I think you'll be disgusted to see just how dirty your laundry water ends up being. (You'll find complete laundry stripping instructions here.)
So...How Do I Save Money on Laundry Detergent?
If you want to continue to use a washing machine, you may now wonder how you can save some money on laundry detergent. I recommend playing around with different brands...and also learning to use only what you need. According to Consumer Reports, most Americans use too much detergent. The Spruce offers some good tips on deciding how much to use, depending upon many factors, including the type of machine you own.
