The Old Homeplace

Homemade Laundry Detergent Review

Vickie from the Monthly Dishcloths KAL group asked me about the laundry detergent recipe I mentioned a few posts down. This is the one I used:

The Simple Dollar Detergent Recipe

I have read about making laundry detergent at home for years but this was the first time I actually made it. To be honest, I was not impressed. It turned into a gloppy, slimy mess that was inconvenient for me store and measure out.

As far as cleaning goes, it worked pretty well on normal loads but was a disaster in a really greasy load of work clothes. It left a mess in the washer tub that had to be removed with Fast Orange hand cleaner (I think I said GoJo hand cleaner to Vickie...sorry). I figure if the mess was that bad where I could see it, it would also be bad in other places in the washer that I could not see. I was afraid it might ruin the washer or the next load of clothes. 

On the positive side, the clothes seemed softer after being washed with the homemade laundry detergent whether they were line dried or I used the dryer. I also add some essential oil...a few drops of Orange Valencia, if I remember correctly...when I made the detergent. It made the detergent smell good and the clothes came out smelling very clean, not really scented at all, which I really liked.

I had decide to stick with the store bought detergent, using less than the recommended amount on most loads and a little more on the greasy ones. Then Vickie sent me this link:

Homemade Laundry Detergent Powder

That would be easier to store and mix.....hmmmm.....I do like to make thing myself....hhhmmmmmmmm....

I might have to wait a little while to try the dried version.....I have got to use up the gloppy version first!

WWGD

...What Would Grandma Do?  Or maybe WDGD...What Did Grandma Do?, would be more accurate. In her younger days my Grandma lived in the country, way out in the country. She did not have a car. She did not go town every day. She rarely shopped for non-necessities. I am wandering if the key to my living more frugally in the country is to live more like grandma did?

I have been thinking this over and I've come up with a few lessons from grandma:

1. Drive less....way less!

2. Consume less...way less!

3. Waste less...way less!

What frugal things did your grandma do that you can apply to your life today?