I bought 2 pounds a few years ago, and they lasted for 4-1/2 years. I bought another bag last spring, and i’ve used about 1/8th of the bag so far. The outlay up front is big (near $30), but then i don’t have to think about it again for a long, long time. We got many more than the 320 load advertised. At 320 loads, at current prices, that is 7-1/2 cents per load, I would guess that ours last much longer, say 5 cents a load. I do add a small amount of borax and baking soda to a wash, and often add some vinegar to the rinse water. My MIL comments on how soft our towels feel.

To me, this is the best of all worlds. Good for the environment, our clothes, and our pocketbook.

I was using the homemade stuff in my front loading washing that normally uses HE (High efficiency) detergent. I had no sudsing problem with the homemade.

Over the past couple of years, I had developed ezcema on my chin and neck. Could not really get rid of it, just treated it. I finally thought maybe that the use of the homemade detergent may have been a factor. So I stopped using it recently and the ezcema seems to be getting better. So I may have to give up using it and go back to using the Kirkland HE detergent from Costco.

I just use around a third of what is recommended. This combined with a small amount of Oxy Clean does the trick for me.

I was thinking more about the post on cold water and washing, and like most things in life, there is a middle ground! I usually make it luke warm, which doesn’t use that much hot water but still manages to get the dirt out of clothes for two young boys. I start the wash with hot water to dissolve all of the Oxy Clean and then switch to warm (which is pretty cold on my washer) before I leave the basement.

Count me in as being dubious about 30 cent Dove. On sale at Walgreens, it is usually $1, and even with a coupon, I couldn’t routinely get it down to 30 cents.

We don’t use enough laundry detergent to make this worth my while.

Like my mother used to say, “Maybe we didn’t accomplish what we planned to [financially] but we lived a life anyway – in spite of it.”

This week I contacted an old friend in my hometown about good local sources for flowers ( a niece living there is looking for carnations for a special occasion) and my friend’s response was “I have no idea about buying flowers in our area.” Made me feel sad. No fresh flowers ever…

They also have 80-load bottles with oxi-clean (not sure if that makes a difference or not) for $8, which comes out to 10 cents per load.

Unfortunately, borax can impair fertility (for those trying, which includes us), can potentially cause damage to a fetus, injure children or pets…we’ve decided it’s not a safe item in our household.

Sometimes the money is worth it!

The cost savings are appealing, but I make my own detergent mostly because I have chemical sensitivities and commercial laundry detergents give me a horrible rash. Occasionally I will need to do laundry while travelling, and have to use a detergent like Tide. I will get a red, raised rash all around my lower legs from my socks after washing them in Tide, Sunlight, etc. I never get a skin reaction from my homemade detergent.

I bought enough for like the next 4 years.