From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

Watty1

Love the washing powder talk. It is an issue here with 3 horses, an old barn, a big dog. Some washing powders just don't have the "oomph" to deal with grubbiness of life here.

Have contemplated mixing up my own but do wonder if it will be tough enough to get things clean.

greenbee

I find that for grubby stuff, long washes with lots of time spent soaking, plus an extra rinse often works best. As does pre-soaking to loosen dirt. But that assumes the space to do the latter (so it doesn’t happen often as it means having the sink and surroundings clean and then not needing to use them for several hours - best done overnight, obviously, but I’m usually too tired at that point).

I use a small amount of BioD washing powder with added soda crystals, and vinegar instead of fabric conditioner with a few drops of lavender essential oil. Green/eco bleach (sodium percarbonate) if needed. And if whites are looking a bit yellow, soak in citric acid first. Other grubby stuff is soaked in soda crystals, or bicarb, depending on what it is/what I have/how I feel 😎

Greying_Pilgrim

You've reminded me greenbee - I am out of soda crystals and haven't been able to find them in the local hB lately. Must remember to look further afield - thank you 😁

Greying X

Baileys_Babe

Our hB had them in stock this week, don't give up hope.

According to g00gle hB sell them at £1.79 a pack, Te$c0 & S@insbugs £2 a pack, B&cue £2.50 a pack or 4 for 3 - which is the equivalent of £1.88 a pack

BookWorm

You can also order them online from various sites. I get mine delivered to save having to lug them home from the shop

Greying_Pilgrim

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82000856#Comment_82000856

🤞- the nearest hB to us is particularly bad at stocking tho. I don't know what it is, but they have been quite "happy" (probably the wrong word to use in front of management), to operate with empty shelves, and just not have items in stock. Out of the…..4 or 5 that I can use (depending on where I've travelled to), it is by far the worst - even though it's the biggest shop. I don't know if it's incapable of ordering, I don't know if it gets a heck of a footfall because it's a bigger store and supply just can't meet demand. They had rubber gloves in the other day (no SEL telling you how much), but they've not had those in for weeks - even the member of staff I asked said that they couldn't remember when they last stocked them (when they were still oos).

Thinking of 'oos' things - I happened to notice that MrL had tinned pineapple chunks back in stock this week. I can't remember the last time I saw the chunks in stock - over a year? Needless to say the label said 'new' 🙄 but the price had gone up to….. £1.29 🙄

The weather is dreich. It's rained off and on all morning, although I did consult the computer and got DH's workwear out for the 2 hrs of so that it was staying dry. For once, it was spot on right, and I literally just got it in before the rain started falling…. again. It's not dry, but it's further forward than it was. I will put the dehu on for a while. I hate having to do that in 'summer' but we've lots more rain forecast, and I am the first to say that I've been lucky with getting washing dry this year.

I made soup. It was based on corn chowder, and used onion, celery, garlic, potatoes, mixed veg and sweetcorn. I cooked it up in the PrC with water, half a stock cube, and some bay leaves. I then partially blitzed it and added in a tin of butter beans, some mustard powder, some cumin and some parsley, salt and pepper. Apart from the unfortunate incident of LG finding a tiny blob of undissolved mustard powder in their bowl 🙄it all got polished off.

Soda crystals has gone back on my shopping list - thanks Baileys_Babe

Greying X

kayannie

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82000679#Comment_82000679

I bought some in S@vers.

KA

rtandon27

Our savers has them for 2 pounds a bag or on 3 for 2 - but that presumes you have room for 3 kg of powder!

Greying_Pilgrim

Thanks - DH went out to MrS to get something, and I asked if he would pop into hB to get some non-food bits, including looking for soda crystals. He's come back with some 😁 Haven't seen a receipt yet, but we've got some 😁

I don't think we've a savers 🤔 The only place I can think of having seen a savers is the metropolitan town across the way, and what with one thing and another, there is getting to be less opportunity to go there these days. Having said that, it's useful to know, just in case I get out and about elsewhere and come across one. Thank you.

Greying X

Baileys_Babe

We are also using the dehumidifier today, seems wrong in the "summer" but if I don't people will be without underwear tomorrow and we can't have that now can we