Thank God for…Vinegar?!
I’ve been reading up on frugal (OK, down right cheap) homemaking ideas in my quest to save, save, save. I am totally impressed with the 1001+ uses for Distilled White Vinegar!
So, are you ready for GROSS?! We had calcium built up on our facets (well water). I’ve learned to soak tissue in vinegar and wrap our facets over night. I did add a little cleaning toothbrush scrubbing at the end to remove chunks…I said it was gross.
Here’s the proof!
Just a few other uses for Baking Soda or White Vinegar:
-Baking soda on a damp sponge to clean and deodorized all kitchen and bathroom surfaces.
- White Vinegar also breaks down uric acid. Use 1 cup vinegar to the rinse water for babies’ clothes and clothe diapers.
-Septic Care! That was VERY exciting for me to find out, since we live in the country and have a septic system. I’ve spent $7 per month on a septic additive to maintain the PH balance. According to ARM & HAMMER 1 cup per month will maintain the PH balance (not bad for a .44 cent box of the CHEAPEST baking soda)
-2 tsp of Baking Soda added to your sink dish detergent will help cut additional grease and grime.
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HOMEMADE LAUNDRY LIQUID DETERGENT-
Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.
I finally made homemade laundry detergent. It was so much easier than I thought it would be. It’s funny how some things seem “hard” in our minds. I spent less than 20 minutes making a batch that yields 10 gallons. Annually I’ve been spending $120 on laundry detergent. What a savings! Also I have enough Borax and Washing Soda left for years to come. The batch I’ll make next year I’ll only need to buy the $1 bar of soap!
- - Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.
- -Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.
- -Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)
- -Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.
Awesome! Thank you so much for posting! You've already got me cleaning with vinegar and now I can't wait to make laundry detergent and softener!!!
Thanks great Mandie. I use vinegar in cleaning my cloth diapers too
I just switched to vinegar for everything too! And I finally found washing soda, so now I have all the ingredients to make my detergent (but I bought PINK Zote soap so it would be pretty. Now, to DO it!
Found you at Pinterest. Just so you know, I use vinegar in my downy ball instead of fabric softener. It works just as well and doesn’t leave any smell once it’s dries. Super cheap and no questionable chemicals in our clothes. Great post. Thanks.
I recently learned that commet should never be used on your faucets since it could ruin the finish. Vinegar is one of the suggestions from Delta. Just a little more motivation.
I wish I knew THAT a long time ago! Thanks Wanda.
Would the laundry detergent be ok to use with front loader washing machine? I currently have to buy detergent with the “he” symbol on it.
Allison, I don’t have a “HE” washer. But I’ve read other articles that deal with making laundry detergent for HE systems. Here’s on of the articles: http://www.ehow.com/how_6136424_homemade-soap-front-load-washers.html Hope that helps!
I’ve done a little research, and the “HE” detergent basically means low sudsing, which the homemade detergent is. Ive been using homemade for over a year, and in our new front loader for several months & have had no problems at all!
That is great to know, Stephanie!
Just though I’d add… I had been using the fabric softener like you described above for a year or so, then I read somewhere that fabric softener is actually a gimmick! People would use too much laundry soap, and it wouldn’t rinse out of their clothes completely so they complained of stiff clothes because of the residue– enter the birth of fabric softener, which coats your clothes with more residue. The white vinegar actually helps remove the soap residue from your clothes if you put it in during the rinse (aka, downy ball or fabric softener dispenser), eliminating the need for fabric softener at all. I’ve been using the vinegar and no fabric softener at all for several months now and I’ve not noticed any stiff clothes or towels at all!
so this laundry detergent recipe makes a 5 gallon bucket and you just keep refilling the detergent mixture and water to an old laundry det. bottle?? How long will this batch last (approximatly)??
I can’t wait to try this!
I just made another batch Sunday evening. Yes, it makes a 5-gallon bucket. Then I fill an old laundry bottle 1/2 with the homemade detergent and 1/2 with water. Just give it a good shake before you use it.
A batch for us (family of 7) lasts about 3-months. It costs under $10 per year…that’s a nice savings!
Thanks for the great tips! I’ve been making my own detergent for several years and love it (though I use the same quantities and just mix it all up dry in a garage sale food processor-I use only 2 per tbs. per load and don’t even need softener most of the time). I would add one word of caution: I had been using vinegar and baking soda to clean as well. It cleaned pretty well, but I noticed it was etching my “older” porcelain bathroom sink. So, while vinegar works great on most things, you might want to be careful with porcelain. Thanks again for all you do.
You can also use tennis balls in the dryer as fabric softeners. I love making my own laundry detergent! Not only do I save tons of money, but I know exactly what is in it, and now all our clean clothes have a faint smell of peppermint
! Your own dish soap is pretty easy too…
• 1/4 cup soap flakes or soap shavings (any bar soap will do- I use the fels naptha from my laundry soap collection)
• 2 cups water
• 1 tsp lemon juice or white vinegar
Get out a sturdy sauce pan. Pour the water and soap fakes in and slowly heat it over medium heat. Stir the mixture and keep heating it until all the soap flakes melt into the water. DO NOT let the mixture come to a boil. Turn down the heat if needed.
Allow the soap mixture to cool a bit, then stir in the lemon juice or vinegar. Keep it sitting in the pot until it is completely cooled, then pour it into an old dish soap bottle.
You can add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to make them smell better. I find that if I use the lemon juice, I don’t need the essential oil. Bottled lemon juice works just fine.
There are also lots of recipes out there for your own body wash (from bar soap), toothpaste, deodorant, and soaps or shampoos from scratch, or from the castille soap base.
http://freshwateracademy.blogspot.com/2012/01/homemade-soaps-shampoos-etc.html
I have been making my own l quandary detergent for about 6 yrs. Now. I just started a few months ago on thehomemade cleaners. I am happy with them. I need to try that faucet trick. Thank you!
LOVE the homemade detergent! I’ve been doing this for years, and stopped for a while, never going back to store bought again. I add a 1/4 Cup of lemon juice rather than essential oil.
For floor cleaning, I use the following; 1 Gal VERY hot water, 1/4 Cup Borax, 1/2 Cup distilled white vinegar, couple of squirts of homemade dish detergent, 1/4 Cup lemon juice (optional)…. gets my floors SPARKLING and the fresh lemon scent is awesome! The same mixture can be used to clean the toilet/bathroom.
hi very good tips one question i don’t have borax in my area what can i use please thanks for respond
i neither have this Fels-Naptha soap bar
Check on Amazon. I bet you can order both