Updated 12/9/2008 11:40:17 PM
Valerie Hoff
(11ALIVE) -- Nancy Pecoraro is always looking for ways to save money. She and her husband Jeff have eight children including three foster kids. "We're doing the Dave Ramsey program and really working on that and getting debt free," she said.
Her brood likes Atlanta Thrashers Hockey games and other fun activities so Pecoraro frees up funds by mixing her own laundry detergent.
It's made with just water and three other ingredients, which can usually be found on the laundry aisle of grocery stores:
- 1/3 bar of Fel's Naptha Soap
- ½ Cup Borax (Twenty Mule Team is the most Popular Brand)
- ½ Cup Arm and Hammer Washing Powder (NOT BAKING SODA!)
DIRECTIONS: (Makes 2 Gallons, Takes about Ten Minutes)
Bring 6 Cups water to a boil. Stir in 1/3 bar Fels Naptha Soap until dissolved, then add ½ Cup Borax and ½ Cup Arm and Hammer Washing Powder.
Using a funnel, divide mixture into two gallon jugs. Add water to make a full gallon in each. Shake well.
**Shake Before using-Use approx. ½ Cup in the washer***
Pecoraro said she sometimes adds just a few drops of an essential oil like Lavender to the mixture. The process takes about ten minutes once the water is boiling.
"It's very important to shake it when it's done and before you use it," she said.
She said the three ingredients cost her about $8.00 and she used just a tiny bit of each to make each gallon.
"I've been told its ends up costing about a penny per load of laundry," she said.
Here is what another proponent of it estimated:
Even paying for the shipping for my washing soda, I estimate that the cost per load of laundry is 1.3 cents per batch - a savings of nearly 17 cents per load! That may sound like chump change to you, but let's do the math: my kids go through a lot of laundry. All in all, I think I do at least 7 loads per week. That means that I save $64 per year. Every little bit helps. I'll have to make laundry detergent maybe 3 times per year; it takes about 10 minutes of total hands-on time per batch, or 30 minutes worth of work per year. That's like earning a tax-free income of $128/hour. That's a lot of money!
Pecoraro, said the homemade detergent performs as well as store-bought brands. "With eight kids, I wouldn't use it if it didn't work. I've been told the way the three ingredients work together, it has detergent boosting properties and stain removing properties and it's good for your septic system," she said.
Pecoraro said she subscribes to many websites on frugal living and found the recipe for the home made laundry detergent on CommonSenseWithMoney.com.
She said although she stockpiles grocery and cleaning items, she was recently running low on laundry detergent and was unable to find a great coupon deal so she decided to make her own.
