Author Topic: Detergent for you big families... (Read 1841 times)

s2srea · « **on:** May 30, 2011, 08:42:25 AM »

FYI to you dads and moms (or anyone actually) who are always looking for a deal on detergent:

Amazon has 4-Pack 150-oz ERA 2x Ultra Free Detergent Liquid for $13.80. Free shipping with Amazon Prime (freestudent or parent/caregiver accounts available) or if you spend $25 or more. I would say if you're not sure how to sign up for the free Amazon Prime Parent account, buy to two orders of this to help reach the $25 requirement- it won't go bad.
Note: Detergent will ship in 2-5 weeks.

I haven't used this brand, but I've heard it was good. Good luck with the laundry!

momofmany · « **Reply #1 on:** May 30, 2011, 09:55:26 AM »

I make my own.
I can fill 6 gallon detergent bottles for about $3.

s2srea · « **Reply #2 on:** May 30, 2011, 10:08:40 AM »

how do you do that m.o.m?

MaterDominici · « **Reply #3 on:** May 30, 2011, 11:52:54 AM »

...and does it work in HE machines? I'm sufficiently stocked on detergent for now, but the stuff I bought for cheap will eventually run out and making my own is a much more stable means of saving $$.

PS. I LOVE my AmazonMom account. I spent over a year tracking down the lowest prices I could find on the diapers we use (among other things, of course) and then Amazon started this program and immediately it was cheaper than anything I'd found couponing. Slight downside is having to buy whole cases at a time, but that usually isn't a problem. I recommend anyone buying diapers to check out their prices. (AmazonMom gives 30% off their listed price.) And since I have a free Prime account with this program, I've been using Amazon like a Target or Sears. Their pricing is great and it ships to me free in 2 days.

My preschooler asks, "How does the UPS man know what we need?"

momofmany · « **Reply #4 on:** May 30, 2011, 12:43:03 PM »

It works fine.
The makers of the HE machines will say no, but I haven't seen any difference in the amount of buildup in the filter with homemade detergent vs. making my own and the clothes are just as clean.

$3 for box of washing soda
$3 for box of Borax
$3 for nine bars of ivory soap.

I can use the above supplies for about 5 batches of laundry detergent, each batch making about 5-6 gallons of detergent. An equivalent amount of store-bought detergent, store brand would be about $200.

Telesphorus · « **Reply #5 on:** May 30, 2011, 12:56:14 PM »

Quote from: momofmany

It works fine.
The makers of the HE machines will say no, but I haven't seen any difference in the amount of buildup in the filter with homemade detergent vs. making my own and the clothes are just as clean.

$3 for box of washing soda
$3 for box of Borax
$3 for nine bars of ivory soap.

I can use the above supplies for about 5 batches of laundry detergent, each batch making about 5-6 gallons of detergent. An equivalent amount of store-bought detergent, store brand would be about $200.

The way those household product businesses extract money is amazing.

s2srea · « **Reply #6 on:** May 30, 2011, 01:41:46 PM »

I'm tempted to make my own I dont' know why I feel curious about doing it though! :scared2: Do you think its because I haven't seen it in an advertisement?? :/

parentsfortruth · « **Reply #7 on:** May 31, 2011, 12:00:46 AM »

Tri sodium phosphate (TSP) has been taken out of most detergents (ALL detergents, including dishwashing soap, laundry soap, and other major cleaners) because of "concerns for the environment." I'm actually purchasing some tonight and I'll tell you the results of this experiment.

shin · « **Reply #8 on:** June 03, 2011, 01:45:27 PM »

Quote from: parentsfortruth

Tri sodium phosphate (TSP) has been taken out of most detergents (ALL detergents, including dishwashing soap, laundry soap, and other major cleaners) because of "concerns for the environment." I'm actually purchasing some tonight and I'll tell you the results of this experiment.

Looking forwards to hearing the results!

parentsfortruth · « **Reply #9 on:** June 03, 2011, 08:42:54 PM »

Just got it in the mail. Going to use it on a load of whites with some bleach and I'll let you know how it turns out. (The cool thing about TSP is that it does not react with bleach.)

parentsfortruth · « **Reply #10 on:** June 05, 2011, 09:08:44 AM »

Put my whites in there, with a little TSP, and it worked wonderfully. That stuff really makes dingy looking clothes whiter with one wash. I would recommend trying it myself. I heard it works better with soft water, but we have hard water here, and it still worked just fine.

s2srea · « **Reply #11 on:** June 05, 2011, 09:58:13 AM »

Thanks PFT- I've been meaning to look back to this thread! Thanks for the update! I'm really considering doing this!

shin · « **Reply #12 on:** June 06, 2011, 07:33:22 AM »

Quote from: parentsfortruth

Put my whites in there, with a little TSP, and it worked wonderfully. That stuff really makes dingy looking clothes whiter with one wash. I would recommend trying it myself. I heard it works better with soft water, but we have hard water here, and it still worked just fine.

Thanks for the info! Glad to hear it! :D

ora pro me · « **Reply #13 on:** June 06, 2011, 01:49:40 PM »

We used to use TSP to wash our walls before painting. I haven't done any painting in quite awhile so I haven't looked for TSP. Is it still readily available?

Did you get TSP powder or liquid?

parentsfortruth · « **Reply #14 on:** June 06, 2011, 04:04:06 PM »

We got the powder, and it contains sodium carbonate with it (washing soda. Was used all the time in the old days for clothing. ) Instead of using sodium carbonate when I have to wash my baby diapers when my girl gets here in August, I'm going to be using the TSP instead.