Laundering for less

BitterAndTwisted

VfM4meplse wrote: »

Thanks, recipe plse? I wash clothes at 30 degrees, but have a thing about using a good high temperature for bedding and towels, gotta kill, kill, kill bugs.


I've thought about both but do like my laundry to smell scented.

What bugs? Soap kills germs so you'll only need to worry about them if you have someone in the house with an infectious disease or a compromised immune-system.

One "Laundry Gloop" recipe: Grate one bar of soap. F@iry or Sunl!ght is best and I noticed the Mr M has a pack of two own-brand "household soaps" for fifty-odd pence which smells suspiciously like F@iry.

Add your grated soap to a pan of 1 1/2 litres of boiling water on the stove. Mix it with a wooden spoon to dissolve it. Add 1/2 cup of washing-soda and 1/2 cup of borax or borax substitute. The borax isn't absolutely necessary but is a very good stain-remover. Give it a good old stir and ensure they are both COMPLETELY dissolved or the mixture will separate when it cools.

Remove from the heat and pour it into a plastic bucket. Fill the bucket with about another 8 1/2 litres of hand-hot water from the tap. Add some essential oil if you like. Tea-tree oil gives a good, fresh scent. Stir it and leave to cool.

Decant into containers. Those 4-pint milk containers are handy for this. This makes 10 litres of laundry soap, so that's about 100 washes at the cost of about a quid max plus leccy for the lot.

Use about 100ml/3 fl oz per washing-load. This mixture won't make suds but will clean very effectively. Cheap as chips! And will only take you half ab hour or so. You may never go back to expensive laundry detergents ever again. I most certainly won't.

There's a thread entitled "Laundry Gloop" on this forum and there are a number of different variations of this recipe.

anguk

I use Method laundry liquid, DD and I have very sensitive skin and it's a nightmare finding soap powder that doesn't irritate us, the big brands do and the cheaper ones. I've tried "natural" stuff including soap nuts but find they just don't get the washing clean, especially the whites, they go dingy after a while.

Method is expensive at £6 a bottle :eek: but I stock up when it's on offer (currently 2 for £8 at Tesco). It's got a pump top and you're supposed to use 4 pumps per wash and you get about 25 washes per bottle but I only use 2 so I get about 50 washes which works out about 8p per wash if bought on offer or 12p full price.

I know I could get cheaper washing powder/liquid but it's worth paying the extra for one that doesn't irritate our skin and this is the first one I've found that works well, removes stains and has a nice smell.

Toxic_Lemon

anguk wrote: »

I use Method laundry liquid, DD and I have very sensitive skin and it's a nightmare finding soap powder that doesn't irritate us, the big brands do and the cheaper ones. I've tried "natural" stuff including soap nuts but find they just don't get the washing clean, especially the whites, they go dingy after a while.

Method is expensive at £6 a bottle :eek: but I stock up when it's on offer (currently 2 for £8 at Tesco). It's got a pump top and you're supposed to use 4 pumps per wash and you get about 25 washes per bottle but I only use 2 so I get about 50 washes which works out about 8p per wash if bought on offer or 12p full price.

I know I could get cheaper washing powder/liquid but it's worth paying the extra for one that doesn't irritate our skin and this is the first one I've found that works well, removes stains and has a nice smell.

If your skin is so sensitive, why use soap at all?:question:

VfM4meplse

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

What bugs? Soap kills germs

Not true, surfactant only breaks down fats and dirt.

mummybearx

I bought a few of the Tesko Enrituals, found them to be quite good. But as another poster has said, we aren't a 'dirty' family, just a freshen up in the wash does me x

£1 per bottle, can't beat it x

Gothicfairy

Toxic_Lemon wrote: »

Add a couple of drops of lavender oil to the powder drawer.

If you want your stuff to smell of something then add oil or perfume to the wash and that works just as well.

I am not mad keen on lavender but do use lemon oil for bed stuff and towels and sandalwood / tea tree for his work stuff. I don't bother with anything for my clothes as I wear orange flower stuff every day.

Cheapskate

I use traditional Ariel powder, the regular stuff, not liquids, etc., found them to not be very effective. I buy the biggest box, they say 72 washes on the box, but I bet I get double that, so at full price it's about 15-17 pence a wash, but sometimes it's half price so I stock up. Last week I had to pay full price for the first time in over a year. I don't use conditioner, though. Do some washing at 40 degrees, bedding a bit higher, but about half our washing only need freshening up, so a quick 30 degree wash for those things.

If I hand wash anything, I use washing up liquid, shower gel, etc., and make sure it's well rinsed - never had any skin irritation - if it's ok for skin then it's ok for hand washing clothes!

Emuchops

Morrisons or Tesco Value stuff. Be sure to compare weights as some packs have a lot more in than others. You may look a little odd doing it but it's a worthwhile exercise.

BitterAndTwisted

VfM4meplse wrote: »

Not true, surfactant only breaks down fats and dirt.

I'm quite happy with my (perhaps erroneous) theories so will be the immoveable object on this one. I can remove grease-spots on clothing quite effectively with simple old common-or-garden soap and a nail-brush. Plus, if soap doesn't kill germs with its alkalinity why bother washing our hands after the lav or before preparing food etcetera? We could save ourselves quite a bit of money by not bothering to do it. MSE! Also, they used to use carbolic soap for hand-washing in hospitals and if that didn't do away with germs we'd all be dead. Unless it had a secret deadly-to-germs additive which I'm not aware of.

n.b. soap is a surfectant

K2t

I am quite addicted to fairy non bio... But have just purchased soda crystals. If I do 1tablespoon fairy 1tablespoon soda crystals per wash would this be okay? Would I add it to the drawer? Also, I've heard white vinegar is good to soften, anyone know how much to use? Or alternatives? Many thanks x