How much does homemade laundry detergent save? Via Shutterstock
How much cheaper is making your own laundry detergent? I’ve heard that DIY laundry detergents are a huge money saver, but I’m curious just how much money I stand to save on laundry. Perhaps knowing will convince me to take the plunge and make my own laundry soap – or look harder for coupons on my favorite brands.
How much does your detergent cost per load?
A cost comparison of seven brands of laundry, including homemade laundry detergent.
How cheap is your laundry detergent?
So which brand won – and is the cheapest?
Homemade laundry detergent is hands down the cheapest option. Making your own laundry soap is one-third the cost of the next cheapest laundry detergent (Stop & Shop’s Gauranteed Value brand). And the hommeade detergent is less than one-tenth of the cost of Tide, a leading brand.
Where can I find a recipe for making my own laundry detergent and how long does it take?
I recommend checking out The Simple Dollar’s step-by-step recipe for making laundry detergent. I have not followed his recipe, but it sounds like the whole process would take an hour (plus time to buy the ingredients – or just pick them up on your next trip to the grocery store.)
What are the downsides?
You’ve got be careful making the detergent – not a good kitchen activity for little ones – and you’ve got to store the 5-gallon bucket of homemade detergent in your laundry room (or wherever you keep detergent).
How much will I save in a year?
If you made your own laundry detergent for an entire year and did an average of one load of laundry per day, compared to using Tide, you would save…
HOMEMADE: $.02 per load x 365 loads per year = $7.30
TIDE: $.21 per load x 365 loads per year = $76.54
YEARLY SAVINGS: $69.35 per year
If you do more than one load a day, you will save more money. If you do fewer loads of laundry, you will save less.
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price.
Grate the soap; it’s much easier & safer than cutting it up.
The best recipe and instructions I have found for DIY laundry soap: http://www.budget101.com/myo-household-items/5-minute-no-cook-laundry-detergent-recipe-4075.html
My Kitchenaid blender fits best with a wide-mouth 1-pint jar, but use whatever jar fits your blender. Love it!
In my experience, if you want your laundry to truly smell fresh and clean you have to use between a quarter and a half cup of washing soda per load in addition to at least 2 tbsp on soap flakes like Zote – trust me i’ve tried using less and i just don’t think they smell as fresh and clean at all. I get my washing soda in bulk from a chemical company – 50lbs of it, since its much cheaper that way. 50lbs of washing soda is equivalent to 16 boxes of washing soda from Walmart and buying from the chemical company means i get 9 out of 16 boxes for free, essentially. There are about 12 half cups in each box. For a family of 5 we do about a load a day, sometimes two loads a couple times a week because of bedding and towels. This still comes out to about .20 a load and we use dryer balls which give us 1500 loads. Figure in Vinegar for rinse and acting as the fabric softener and you are spending even more. I have never been able to get away with using ”2tbsp” of homemade laundry detergent or less than a cup of vinegar per load because you need far more than that of each ingredient to really get clothing clean and deodorized since the water dilutes the ingredients into just about nothing if you don’t use enough. BUT it is still much cheaper than the ”clean healthy” brands. And even if its not the cheapest, it is still a much healthier option. Laundry detergent does not rinse clean so you are always having a layer of toxic film up against your body from regular detergents and softeners, especially ones heavy in scent. If you have a strong sense of smell and want your laundry actually clean, you will never get away with 0.02 cents a load that’s just a fact of life! 😉 But that may be because I like laundry to smell brand new/hotel fresh lol. I have a total type A sense of smell haha
dry your zote or laundry bar of soap in microwave a few minutes before grating .it will be a lot easier to grate.
Great tip, thanks!
where do you get this laundry company? what is name
Homemade laundry detergent can be significantly cheaper than store-bought options. On average, making your own detergent costs about $0.02 to $0.05 per load, while commercial detergents can range from $0.20 to $0.30 per load. The savings come from using basic, inexpensive ingredients like washing soda, borax, and bar soap. Additionally, homemade detergents are customizable, allowing you to control the ingredients and avoid harsh chemicals. While there is an upfront cost for the ingredients, the long-term savings are substantial, making homemade detergent a cost-effective and eco-friendly alternative to commercial products.
Casa Tundra