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!

Podcast Spotlight: Chaos Chronicles

What I learned in Middle School, Panini Generation update, Sandusky Trial: Chaos Chronicles 517

Welcome To The Chaos!

Editorial Description: Chaos Chronicles 

I’m Lian Dolan. I’m a mother, wife, writer, talk show host and chronicler of everything that goes on in a house with two boys, one man & one big dog. I live in Pasadena, California. The Chaos Chronicles is my podcast and blog that celebrates Modern Motherhood and all its madness. I'm also the parenting expert for oprah.com, a Satellite Sister and my first novel Helen of Pasadena is an LA Times Bestseller. Whew! Good thing my motto is: Embrace Your Chaos!

SuperMomx3 Review - 5 stars!

Category: parenting, news editorials, entertainment, sisterhood/girlfriends

How/Where I listened: on my ancient ipod while folding laundry, vacuuming, walking and driving the kids to and fro.


Lian is completely relatable, funny and real. She talks about motherhood, sisterhood, being self employed as a writer/blogger/podcaster and the recent declining health of her parents. She covers magazine stories and current events injected with her point of view. She over-commits to community service projects and shares the ups and downs of those commitments.
Her show is a spin off of The Satellite Sisters which is another great podcast that started out as a syndicated radio show, and is produced with her and her 4 sisters.

My sister also listens to this show, and it is a frequent topic in our phone chats.

The Show linked above centers on the graduation of her youngest son from Middle School. Since my oldest is going into this stage of life (and dragging me with him) I found it especially timely.

I highly recommend to all my supermom friends!

The SuperMomx3 summer schedule

Some days I feel as though I'm on a hamster wheel or a sit-and-spin. On days like those, it usually can be blamed on my attempts to wear too many hats:

I'm a mother (x3)
- personal chef, providing individual healthy meals and snacks several times a day
- advocate
- counselor
- taxi service
- laundry service
- tutor
- preacher
- nurse
- personal shopper
-
I'm a wife (I'm not going to list all the job titles involved)

I'm a sister/daughter/friend
I'm President of my kids' elementary PTA
I'm a runner who makes great attempts to be healthy from time to time
I'm the household manager/maid/gardener
I'm a business owner
I'm the wife of a business owner
I'm a community member
I'm a philanthropist

I'm a person who wants a glass of wine, and a bubble bath and a fabulous vampire novel...

A review of products I used today

Today was filled with productive housework while catching up on marketing podcasts.

One of the podcasts I listened to got me thinking about the value of reviewing the various products I use. I am a marketing professional, and one of the things that makes me good at this profession is that I am often able to see my client's product or service from my viewpoint as a consumer. I'm not just any consumer, I'm in the demographic that does the most purchasing for our household. What I think matters. If you're a wife and or mother who does most or all of the shopping for your family, than what you think matters too.
Here are some of the products I used today, and what I think of them:



I purchased these Juanita's Tortilla Chips at The Green Barn (a local farmer's market kind of grocery) and I think they may just be the best bagged tortilla chips I've ever purchased! I'm sorry to say I ate more than the suggested serving size as my late night snack. They are very good. Crisp and salty, possibly a little too oily for some (enough so, that I'm unwilling to compare the nutritional value with other brands at the moment).


I have a Dyson Animal. It is, perhaps, my favorite machine. Mine is celebrating it's 8th birthday this month and I've loved it since day one. I suspect that it used to have more power and suction than it has now, regardless of my diligence in cleaning the spongy filter, but I still love it. Seeing the canister fill with dirt is one of the most rewarding experiences... I recommend it to everyone. I have replaced a couple of parts recently (a cracked hose) but the parts were easy to find, order and replace. I would love to receive a second Dyson, so this one could live permanently in the basement. I'd welcome this gift for Valentine's Day, my birthday (which is coming up) or my anniversary... Love Love Love it.

  



   


I buy these gallon sized Ziploc bags at Costco because I use them for everything! Today I used one bag to pack up a completed puzzle so it could be passed on to one of my sisters (we like to trade puzzles and work on puzzles together whenever we can schedule the time). I also used one to pack up my daughter's necklace beads. The sliding zipper is the best for my kids to open and close without my assistance.



Since our water supply is a private well, and it has a notable scent that I don't find pleasant (seems to come and go seasonally), and since I LOVE things that smell nice, I almost always use a scented fabric softener. I usually gravitate toward the lavender scented choices and tend to go with name brands (I've been disappointed several times with the generic/cheap ones). But I also like to switch up the scent periodically. This one has a nice scent that is neither manly or womanly. Laundry that smells clean and lovely make folding less of a chore. And my towels are very soft and fluffy.



Speaking of my love for things that smell good. I'm a huge fan of Scentsy. Today I melted a new cube of Cherry Limeade and my house smells fantastic! It's summery and delicious. One of my favorites! When I went searching for a picture for this review, I saw someone suggested to "sex it up" by combining it with their Flutter scent. Sounds like a fun thing to try to me ( :



Cheers!!