I try to save money on laundry detergent by diluting it in the drawer by adding several cups of hot water. It's a trick my dad taught me as the hot water activates the detergent rather than wait for the water to heat up in the machine. Another idea is to soak everything with a hand washing detergent and leave it for an hour and then put it on a quick wash.
Yeah, this is a very good idea, and it means that your detergent can definitely last longer. I also make sure that I don't wash every day, because I don't have a full washing machine, so it's just a waste. Instead, I will do my washing every four days, meaning that I can make the most of the full load. It also means that I am using less power, as the machine doesn't need to be used as much - so that is something that is very helpful as well!
You know what I hate, those single serve detergent pods! They cost way more! I like to just buy bulk powered detergent and use it sparingly.
We have a laundrywoman who washes our clothes with her hand. We pay her good for that. But in return she has this knack of using the first wash (with detergent) for the next batch. When she does the laundry she has several basins for the first batch and the second batch. She said that the first soap water will help in cleansing the dry clothes before soaking it with water and detergent.
That's all very good if you have a laundry machine that uses hot water. Here where I live, you don't even get hot showers. It's all cold water. So, my way of saving on detergent is to wash my clothes by hand with a bar of soap. The soap is ecologically sustainable, smells nice and lasts twice as long as powder would. Naturally, it's more work, but if you wash a few items every day, there won't be many clothes accumulating in your dirty laundry basket. - That's if you don't have a large family. But even then, you can teach your kids, and everyone else in your household, to wash their own clothes.
I usually buy the cheapest detergent brand but I don't stop there. When cleaning laundry I use about 3 quarters of the recommended amount of the product and the clothes come out as clean as they would if you used the recommended amount of the detergent. You could test this out and confirm that it works. And if you want to go a step further, you could try making your own detergent. Take a look: Log In Log In
Not to mention, those laundry pods are quite dangerous to have around the house if you have young children. That’s not an issue for me, but I still wouldn’t use them. They’re not cost-effective at all. I’m a fan of buying powdered detergent in bulk as well.
I've lived in areas like that, so I used to boil a kettle of water ( or saucepan) and soak all my underwear in the sink or a bucket and add some shower gel or shampoo to wash them. It is amazing how you can improvise when you don't have the luxury of a washing machine. It's also remarkable how far you can stretch that sink or bucket of hot water!
When I was a kid it was possible to use the water from the washing machine more than once. The water was pumped into a sink and then recycled when the next wash was begun. It was an old old machine with a roller to help squeeze out the water. Using the first wash water did help to reduce the amount of soap used for the second wash.
That's true I hadn't considered that aspect as well. Packaging bulk product and marketing it as convenient is only going to increase, as it make the company more money. Just look at the proliferation of single service coffee cups.
I've never made my own detergent, but I've considered it. Has anyone tried making laundry detergent using these or another recipe? My problem is I have to use the 'free and clear' type detergents, because i have eczema and get very itchy with most detergents, so I'll probably have to look for a specific type of formulation. I do what @Denis Hard mentioned for now, and use about 3/4 of the recommended amount. I've found it to be sufficient, and my clothes and other items always feel and smell clean.
I am very partial.to my Tide detergent Andy Downy or Snuggle fabric softener, but they are quite expensive. I love how they make my clothes smell, but I do everything in my power to lessen the amount of soap I use. I am going to try the hot water trick as it seems like it would make my clothes still smell good while saving me a few dollars.
I always buy the supermarket's own brand of laundry poweder and like Denis, only use around three quarters of the recommended amount. It makes no difference at all and the clothes come out just as clean.
I've grown partial to liquid detergent and I use less than the amount recommended as well. I buy an off brand in the largest size which usually last a couple of months. When the container is down to where I have to open the top I just fill it with warm water and it washes a load. Waste not, want not.
Just like some posters here, we handwash our clothes. We use a bar of detergent soap and soak the clothes overnight. Then the next morning, we handwash the clothes. I find that handwashed clothes are cleaner and smells divine even the underarm area lol.
I just went to the links in the OP and I'm going to start making my own laundry detergent. Not just to save money but the benefit of not having the chemicals that are in the commercial brands.
You can also make your own laundry detergent for $24 a year. There are tons of recipes on Pinterest and DIY laundry detergent has become so popular that ingredients like Borax and washing soda are now commonly sold at Walmart and easy to find.
I like the liquid laundry detergent, I find I can make a jug last longer by using half the amount they recommend. Laundry detergent is so concentrated I don't think you need as much to get your clothes clean. I also spray or presoak clothes that have grass stains on them I also only wash with cold water and make sure I have a full load. A good tip is to only buy laundry detergent when it's on sale. You can also buy the largest jug at Costco on sale. That's a great deal. The largest container can last half a year.
I also wash my clothes by hand, but I'm not good with the bar of soap, and even need a hand brush when washing to make sure they are totally clean. So that to make easier the process, I put my clothes to soak the night before dissolving a cup of cheap detergent in hot water. And only using the soap bar and brush in case there is some dirt that wasn't removed during the soaking time.
When the detergent plastic is already empty, I also dilute it with water so that remaining soap residue would bubble and contribute to the clothe's washing session. I also do that to shampoos and dishwashing liquid.
