The topic of today’s discussion is laundry soap. We’ve seen bottles of soap turn from regular to condensed soap claiming “more powerful blend” so they can still sell it at a higher price without really improving the operation. We used to purchase the cheapest bottle of laundry soap at Walmart, usually Sun or Purex, but found the price increasing by sometimes 150% to 200%, with no reason. What used to cost $0.06 per load has increased to $0.11 per load. Our household income hadn’t increased by as much and our washing needs certainly hadn’t decreased, so we had to find a solution.

My wife happened upon a recipe to for DIY laundry soap at Broulim’s. It touted a price as low as $0.02 per load. But, it caused me to ask a few questions: 1) Can we make it? 2) Is it effective–does it get the clothes clean?, and 3) How does it smell?

First, here’s the recipe:

• 5 Gallons boiling hot water
• 1 cup Washing Soda
• 1/2 cup Borax
• 1 Soap bar

1. Grate the bar soap and add to a large saucepan with hot water. Stir over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.
2. Fill a 5 gallon pail half full of hot water. Add the melted soap, Borax and Washing soda, stir well until all powder is dissolved. Top the pail up with more hot water.
3. Use 1/2 cup per load, stirring soap before each use (will gel).

Our batch looks like this in the process:

Start by boiling five gallons of water. We used this canning pot because it was the biggest we could find.

Fels-Naptha soap package, the soap is ready for grating

Grating the soap, I use the smaller side of an old cheese grater found at the thrift store. DON'T reuse this for cheese...ever!

The grating goes pretty quickly if you've a sturdy hand.

All grated. Make sure people don't mistake it for cheese... yuck!

Next, we add the grated soap to a saucepan to water and bring it to a boil:

One large saucepan full of hot water

Pouring in the grated soap

Stir the soap while getting the water to a rolling boil

The soap is dissolved. Note, there may be bubbles in the saucepan. This is OK. Just don't let it boil over... or you'll smell it every time you cook.

The next step is combining all the ingredients. First, pour the soap mixture into a 5 gallon bucket.

While still hot, pour soap solution into five gallon bucket.

We used 20 Mule Team Borax. Pour half a cup into the bucket.

We use Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda (also nice in your loads to keep whites whiter.) Pour one cup into the bucket.

Stir it all in. Make sure you have a long enough spoon to reach the bottom.

Finally, put a lid on it and wait.

We added lavendar to the mix before letting it sit. ABout 15-20 drops per five gallons, depending on concentration, smell preference, etc.

Use half a cup per load of laundry. Or, if you need more, use a little more. Seriously it's only two cents a load!

So that answers whether we can make it. Is it effective? We’ve been using this detergent for six months now, and the clothes come out both looking and smelling clean. I’d love to share the smell over the net here, but we’re not to that point yet technologically. Sorry.

If you’d like a different smell, or looking for a dry powdered version, here’s a link with a few different options (http://tipnut.com/10-homemade-laundry-soap-detergent-recipes/)

I recently saw an episode of “18 kids and counting” on TV with the Duggar family, where they used the same recipe. So it’s obvious I’m not the only one doing it.

But, even if I were the only one, my clothes get clean, there’s no weird chemicals to mess with my skin, and the best part is the money we’re saving!

Originally written on March 20, 2008:

I’m no economist, nor am I trying to be a pessimist. I just have so many questions. Questions like, “Why has my household goods bill increased from $75 every two weeks to over $125 every two weeks, with the same items purchased?”, and “Why have products become less valuable?” Maybe I’m just over-sensitive, but it’s true.

My family has purchased the same items every two weeks for years. We used to allocate $75 in our budget for these items, but as of this last month, we’ve had to increase our spending to over $125 for the same quantities of the same items.

Then there’s the other signal of recession. I know you can call me crazy all you want. But, when it comes to the quality of products, I can see and feel the cost-saving measures. Maybe it’s a point to cut down reliance on foreign oil. Maybe it’s the increasing cost in petroleum products that make our consumer goods. Maybe it’s a combination of all these factors, but the consumer goods we buy are not the same as they were even two years ago.

Example: Soft’n Gentle Toilet Paper
We have purchased the same 24-pack of the generic “Soft’n Gentle” Wal-Mart supplied toilet paper for years. Some time last year the price increased and the packaging changed. I wondered why the change. I was expecting an improvement as the package read “Improved!” What was improved? Well, instead of white, blue and green, the package used white, orange and yellow. I wonder if this was an effort to improve readability, until I stepped back from the trees to see the forest. All other toilet paper in the aisle featured blues, greens, and cool colors. Ahah! Improved brand recognition! or possibly improved cost saving because of the different color inks. Who knows.

What else was improved? Closer examination found the plastic packaging was thinner, more brittle, tore easier. Why was this? Is there some reason to have improved entry to the paper in an emergency? perhaps it is more water soluble to reduce suffocation hazards, like those dissolving packing peanuts. I haven’t tested this. But, if memory serves, plastics are made from oil or petroleum products. Maybe, just maybe, they’re cutting costs on the packaging.

Anything else improved? Yes! Our two-week supply of toilet paper ran out too early! Was this some interesting result of a flu-bug, or overactive runny noses from our children? No, all was well in our household. I did notice something else. The cardboard tube in the middle of the roll was thicker than it had been in previous months. How do I know this? It is my custom to be the household “Toilet Paper Fairy.” I know, such a manly job for one of my stature and training, but hey, I can handle it.

This job entails removing the old cardboard tube from the steel holder and replacing it with a new roll for my family’s convenience. How does a macho-type guy like me carry out this task? Why, by tearing the tube from its grip on the steel roller. Previous effort was successful with one mere swipe with my index finger, much like one might open a letter. The cardboard would give sway to my commanding tear and leave my other hand free to prepare the next roll of tissue. But the “Improved” roll was not so accommodating. It took double the exertion and eventually, I had to change my method to pulling on the small triangle shaped area where the corner of the wrapped cardboard sheet to make the tube. The cardboard was thicker!

Why would the cardboard be thicker and the paper last a shorter time? Because the weight of the packaging could remain the same! Improved indeed! It should have read “improved revenue for us!” But was the paper improved? Did it cause fewer noses to be scratched by previously dry paper? Did it feel good on our hind-quarters? No. In fact as I saw the tube get thicker, I felt the paper was drier, and tore easier. I was back in high school chemistry when I learned that paper was made softer by petroleum products in it. Ahah! Another point for foreign oil!

Consequences
What does this all mean? I don’t know. You tell me. Are we in a recession? Are we heading there? My advice: If you get the economic stimulus payment from President Bush this year, invest it in the paper products your family needs throughout the year. Store some aside for when your TP company “improves” their product.

P.S. My wife contacted the company, but was not able to get an acknowledgment, comment, or even an answer of any kind.