I love saving money, and I love a good bargain, especially when it comes to my household cleaners. One of my biggest expenses was laundry detergent, especially when I was buying the brand names, in the liquid form. There may only be 2 of us in my house now, but, those costs really add up, especially since my youngest is now a teenager.

I have to admit that I was quite skeptical about making my own laundry detergent, after all, how clean can it get my clothes? What about stain removal and making sure that everything smells clean and refreshed? I was very fortunate that one of my former co-workers gave me a sample of her laundry soap, and I tried it. I was very surprised and pleased that it worked so well, and now I only make my own.

I go out and spend about $45-50 for all of my supplies, and my detergent lasts for about 14 months before I need to make more. For my family, that averages $3 and some change a month for laundry soap. Much cheaper than $5-10 every 2 weeks for what I used to buy. Every family is different, but, think of the savings.

I make the powdered kind, which stores very easily in a large bucket; or a few ice cream buckets. The hardest part is grating the bar soaps, but, with a food processor, it's very easy. The amount that is used per load is also very small, 1-2 Tablespoons, and my clothes still get clean. I do buy stain pre-treaters, but, I don't use it that much, so it makes sense that I don't have to make a huge bucket for as little as I use it.

There are several DIY cleaners here if you want to try them. I have made my own dishwashing detergent (it didn't work well) and my own dryer sheets (which I don't use, too much work with less cost-effectiveness).

Laundry Soap Melissa Hall/Townsquare Media
Laundry Soap Melissa Hall/Townsquare Media
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