Fit Momma's Frugal Finds

Part of building healthy family's, in my opinion, is by teaching kids that money doesn't grow on trees and to cut family costs where you can. I started my journey in frugal living by necessity when I became pregnant with my 4th child. One more mouth to feed, person to clothe and laundry to do! I've dabbled in DIY cleaners ( Lavender All Purpose Cleaner) but laundry detergent has been to intimidating for me to make at home. Most DIY laundry detergent are in liquid form and usually include cooking in a big pot and storing in giant containers. I just couldn't bring myself to go through all that without even knowing if I'd even LIKE the end product! Until I came upon this great blog: one good thing by jillee. Where she made the liquid version and then talked about a POWDERED detergent! "Huh, powdered...." I thought, "I could do that." So off I went to Fred Meyer to buy some ingredients, and one short stop at a store and 10 Min's of prep and my homemade detergent was ready for it's first load of laundry!

Powdered Laundry Soap:2 cups finely grated soap (Ivory, Fels Naptha, Zote, homemade, or a combination)
1 cup borax
1 cup washing soda

Mix and store in a coffee can or what have you. Use 1-2 T per load.

Since I like all thing natural I choose  1 bar of Tom's natural soap in sage and 1 bar of Tom's natural Lavender milled soap. I learned that the finer the grate the better, I ended up grating the bar of soap (1 bar of soap makes just over 2 cups, I threw in the extras and just used heaping cups of the Borax and Washing Soda.) and then going through the soap with my fingers crushing it even finer. This mixture is VERY concentrated so you really only need the 2 tablespoons/ load of wash!

 I spent less then $6.00 for all the ingredients and purchased the glass container for $5.99

This is how much a double batch made, I am super happy with this! It smells great, my clothes came out clean and fresh! Enjoy Fit Mommas, and Happy Laundering!

****SAFTY NOTE****
***Borax can be extreemly dangerous if not used correctly! Please follow all safety precautions listed on your box of borax. Please keep this product away from children and rinse hands after handling. Also keep in mind this product is DIY and FRUGAL and is not nessessarity "green" in nature. Use as directed and at your own risk.***