Monday, March 25, 2019

Around here - Home Made Laundry Powder

Around here I'm making an effort to reduce my weekly grocery bill.  A year ago I made the decision to do most of my shopping at Aldi and then Woolworths for half a dozen things that I like [ie skim milk, greek yoghurt, frozen raspberries etc] however most of my shop is done at Aldi.

Whilst my local Woolworths and Aldi are in the same shopping centre they are not next to one another as one is in the centre and one is not in the centre and sometimes if I only need 2 items from Aldi and I'm at Woolworths I'll just buy it from Woolworths.  In saying that, I have reduced my grocery bill a lot in the last twelve months however it could still do with some more work.



In the past twelve months I have got into the habit of buying laundry liquid from the supermarket.  I only ever buy the expensive stuff when it is half price however at nearly $9.00 it's still too much.  Last year I did stock up on about 6 bottles of the Coles $1.50 laundry liquid which was great however I used to make my own using the Thermomix so yesterday I did just that.  I have tried making laundry liquid about 8 years ago however I didn't like it and much prefer the powder.

Rhonda from Down to Earth has a post on making laundry liquid and other cleaning recipes.

Here is the link to my original blog post and the recipe is below.




HOME MADE WASHING POWDER

INGREDIENTS:-
  • 1 x Sunlight [or pure] soap, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 x bar of Sard [or stain removing] soap, rough chopped
  • 200gms Borax
  • 315gms Washing Soda [powder]

METHOD:-
  1. Place soap into the Thermomix bowl and chop for 30 seconds on Speed 7.
  2. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix together on Speed 7 for approximately 20 seconds.
  3. Place into a Tupperware container with a scoop.
  4. Use 2-3 heaped tablespoons per wash.

To save time you can make a double batch however make 1 batch per the recipe and then put it into your Tupperware container and then make your second batch.

NOTES:-

If you do not own a Thermomix just grate your soaps and mix together the other ingredients and you'll have your own homemade laundry powder.

You can get Borax from Bunnings as the supermarket no longer sells this although I couldn't find any Lectric Washing Soda at Bunnings and you can get this from the supermarket.

Back in 2014 I wrote a blog post about how I peg my washing and what makes it efficient.  I swear by the Ikea Octopus hangers as they are sturdy and if it rains you can race out and take the whole thing off the line in a second.  It's so simple to peg socks, undies, dishcloths etc. and I would recommend buying 3 of them when you are at Ikea.  PS...did you know Ikea do online orders now for $9 delivery if you can't waste half a day getting there and we all know once you are at Ikea you can spend more money than you want to because everything is great and while you are there, why not.  The online ordering of these will make financial sense because you only buy 3 items and don't have to spend 3 hrs getting there and home.  My local Ikea store is a 45-50 minute drive, times that x 2 and add in the time spent there plus what else you buy it can be an expensive trip so $9 sounds worth it to me.

Do you make your own laundry powder or laundry liquid?

9 comments:

  1. I used to make my own washing powder, but I never put Sard's in it though, I might have to give it another go.

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    1. The sard will help with any stains on the clothes.

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  2. Great post to get everyone motivated to do something easy and help with savings
    I used to make the liquid but have been making the powder for the last 4 years, with a front loader you don't need to use much at all and clothes are quite clean and a little Eucalyptus oil added in the mix is a nice scent .

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    1. The Eucalyptus Oil would be a nice touch too.

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  3. I haven't made my own laundry powders for a while, Kathy, but have been buying when on special. I have to add eucalyptus oil to all the sheets & bedding etc. that I wash due to my son's dust mite allergy. I now look out for eucalyptus oil on special! I never used to shop at Aldi but have been doing so of late for some things and have found them cheaper. What are the main ways you've been cutting back on your grocery bill? Meg

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    1. Aldi for sure eg a tin of corn at Aldi is 80 cents and at the supermarket it would be $1.50 or sometimes on special $1.00. So even on special you get them cheaper at Aldi. I buy Organic olive oil, coconut oil, spray, tissues, dishwashing tablets, pasta 65 cents frozen veggies, tomatoes, iceberg lettuce [although growing my own now] tinned pineapple, raisin toast is half the price. We buy the Aldi wraps and they last well for school lunches. I buy their baby potatoes $1.49 in a packet which you microwave for 8 mins. It would be cheaper buying loose potatoes but there is no waste with this little packet and we only eat potatoes about once a week anyway. 100% canadian maple syrup is under $6. I buy their mince, butter, cheese, eggs, orange cleaning spray although I've just made some miracle spray so won't be buying it anymore. I buy the Aldi blue freezer zip up bags that are like a rectangle. I find I use those for all my shopping because they are easy to carry and zip up to close at the top. If you haven't been an Aldi shopper it can seem awkward however once you know where everything is you will be saving heaps of money. I buy their frozen natural salmon pieces [2 in a box] for $6 where as the supermarket you would get one piece for $9 and it's a large piece. The Aldi salmon is more of a portion you should be eating. I buy that all the time take it out of the box and put them in the freezer as they are individually. wrapped. You can save money at Aldi for sure and that is how I have keep my costs down this year.

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  4. Thanks so much for this detail, Kathy. I will be looking for some of these things at Aldi now too. MegXx

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  5. I haven't made soap powder/laundry liquid ever, I think, and am quite fascinated by your recipe. Thank-you for all the Aldi tips.

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    1. I'm loving my laundry powder again and the clothes smell so fresh. Aldi is great and if you have only ever shopped at the normal supermarkets it does take a bit of getting used too however you can save heaps of money.

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