The cost of clothes washing can really add up- there’s the electricity, the water, and the ever-increasing price of laundry liquid and fabric softener.
You can make significant savings on your laundry bill by making your own laundry liquid- it’s easy, non-phosphorous, and so cost effective you’ll want to tell all your friends and family!
All you need to get started is around $10 to purchase the ingredients, half an hour and a couple of household items.
I have been using this recipe for nearly five years, and in that time have saved around $250 on laundry liquid alone.
I also purchase fabric softener in bulk at Kmart- at around nine dollars for a 5-litre bottle. I dilute the concentrate, putting 250mL in a 2 litre bottle. This way, I spend $19 a year on laundry liquid and fabric softener.
So, without further adieu, here is a homemade laundry liquid recipe guaranteed to save you money.
You’ll need
- A box of Lux soap flakes (OR bars of natural soap of your choice and a cheese grater)
- Lectric washing soda (Both the soap flakes and washing soda can be found in the laundry aisle of your supermarket, usually on the top or bottom shelves)
- 9-10L plastic bucket
- Medium saucepan
- Jug
- Funnel
- Enough old laundry liquid bottles to hold 10 litres, or any plastic bottle to refill (I use soft drink bottles)
- Essential oils if desired (Lavender, Eucalyptus and Tea Tree will give your laundry an antibacterial boost)
Laundry Liquid Recipe
Makes 10 litres
Ingredients
- 5L water
- 1 cup of soap flakes
- 1/2 cup of washing soda
Instructions
- Pour 1.5 litres of water into a medium saucepan. Add soap flakes and stir over a medium heat until the soap flakes dissolve completely. It is important to let the soap dissolve, or your laundry liquid will separate once it cools.
- Add the washing soda to the dissolved soap solution. Stir the mixture until it thickens, then remove the saucepan from the heat.
- Pour the contents of the saucepan into a 9-10L bucket and fill to the top with hot tap water, stirring to ensure all ingredients are well combined. The liquid will thicken as it cools.
- Stir in essential oils if you are using them. This step is optional, however it does allow you to personalise the scent of your laundry.
- Using your jug and funnel, decant the liquid into your storage bottles. I like to do this while it’s hot, as it is easier to decant before it thickens and the liquid can cool in the bottle.
- Shake the bottle before each use. Add 1/4-1/2 a cup of your homemade laundry liquid to your washing machine according to manufacturer’s instructions. This solution works equally well for top and front-loading machines, and can also be used as an effective laundry soak with the addition of a little borax.
For around $10 outlay for your soap flakes and washing soda, you should yield at least 60 litres of laundry liquid- enough for 480 washes!
This should keep your laundry liquid bill down to around $7 a year!
