Homemade Laundry Soap & Fabric Softener

I've been making my own laundry soap and my own fabric softener for a couple of months now, and it makes me feel SUPER that I'm saving money and eliminating additives that I don't need. I have an HE machine and everything I've read online confirms that this is completely safe for my "fancy" machine because it is a "low sudsing".  

Fabric Softener I was a fabric softener addict, so I wasn't sure this would cut it (I really love my laundry to smell nice, and I have well water, which does not always smell SUPER). But this works amazingly well! The hair conditioner ingredient seems odd; perhaps it's in there just for the cheap scent. Regardless, this is SUPER! Fabric Softener recipe

• 4 Cups Hot Water
• 1 Cups Hair Conditioner (You can use any kind, I use Suave)
• 2 Cups White Vinegar
• (optional) Essential Oils I suspect this isn't the healthiest/safest for our clothes/skin, but I use a few squirts of Scentsy room spray in place of essential oils. Scentsy has the most amazing fragrance choices, and it gets diluted enough that I don't think it's harmful, although the Scentsy sprays clearly state they aren't meant for clothing or skin.... (no one here has broken out into a rash, but use at your own peril)

SUPER Tip: I heat the water first, almost to boiling, then add the conditioner and stir well until all the globs have mixed in thoroughly. Then add the vinegar.

I store the homemade softener in an old name brand bottle. I pour my homemade softener into the appropriate dispenser of my washer, but if you prefer dryer sheets, I've read you can pour a bit onto a washcloth and throw the cloth in your dryer with your other clothing.  

Laundry Detergent: I like powder detergent - the liquid stuff ends up spilled all over my laundry room. Some day I'll purchase a beautiful glass container for my laundry soap, but for now, I mix it into an empty [name brand] laundry detergent box.  

Super Tip: I wrote the recipe right on the box of Borax with a sharpy so it's handy when I need it.

Powder Laundry Detergent:

• 1 bar ivory soap (grated)
• 2 cups baking soda
• 1 cup Borax
• 1 cup Washing Soda

I always SUPER size the recipe. And some recipes leave out the baking soda, but I assume this ingredient improves the smell of my laundry, and I like my laundry to smell nice. It does take a bit of time, mostly the time required to grate the bar(s) of Ivory Soap. But the task is actually kind of fun (yep, I need to get out more) and results in a pleasant smelling kitchen and a really pretty visual ...

Isn't this pretty?

Cost savings: I haven't actually sat down with my receipts to calculate the cost savings, but other online sources claim that they are quite substantial! I have an Amazon Prime membership, so shipping of the ingredients was free (and easy), and I'm sure that helps add to the savings. (Plus with the Prime membership, I get it [and my latest vampire novel] quickly). Fabric Softener cost savings:

• Fabric softener name brands cost between 24¢ and 40¢ per load.
• The cost of the homemade version is 19¢ or a penny more if you use the fragrance oil.

Assuming I shopped around for a great deal on the name brand, I believe I'm saving more than $25 per year - not bad! Powder laundry detergent savings:

• [NameBrand] with Bleach powder 267 ounce detergent – $20.32 – 95 loads = $0.21 per load
• Homemade powder 32 ounce detergent – $2.98 – 64 loads = $0.05 per load

Assuming this is accurate (don't hold me to it, but I believe it to be true), with my family of 5, I probably do about 10 loads a week (feels like more than that and it fluctuates) x 52 weeks x 16¢ per load = a yearly savings of $83.20! Wow! Isn't that SUPER? That more than covers my monthly Audible account - which is my laundry folding entertainment a lot of the time. I have other ways of justifying the cost of my audiobook obsession:

• I don't need to hire a cleaning lady every month (savings of $100+)
• I don't need to hire a therapist (savings of $100+? not sure on the rate for a therapist these days, or how often I'd be on the couch without escaping into fantasy romance stories)
• Being an Audible member means I save 30% on the cost of audiobooks

Huh... looks like I'd be justified in upgrading my Audible account to Platinum. I'll see what the hubby thinks about that. Have a SUPER day!