I mentioned in another thread that one of the areas Im cheap in is laundry detergent. I make my own. Its amazing how much junk is in a box of detergent that does nothing for cleaning at all. After asking around, I found this recipe:
1/2 Cup Washing Soda (NOT baking soda.)
1/2 Cup Borax 1 Cup Fels Naptha Soap
Grind it down using a cheese shredder and mix. Simple as that.
Use 1 tablespoon for light loads. 2 tablespoons for heavier loads. (Tablespoon is the right size, its more potent and doesnt need cups of it to work.)
The washing soda can be gotten at Kroger fairly cheaply. The Borax is common in just about any grocery store. I got the Fels Naptha Soap on Amazon. There was a bundle deal for 8 or 10 bars for <$10 including shipping.
Anyone else got some cheap recipes that they want to share?
Are you planning to be financially independent as early as possible so you can live life on your own terms? Discuss successful investing strategies, asset allocation models, tax strategies and other related topics in our online forum community. Our members range from young folks just starting their journey to financial independence, military retirees and even multimillionaires. No matter where you fit in you'll find that Early-Retirement.org is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!
You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with our members, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create a retirement blog, send private messages and so much, much more!
Now how can we turn soap bar into liquid soap. I dont know why liquid soap is so expensive compared to bars.
I think that you could use the above recipe adding glycerin and water to make liquid soap. Ive not made it before, but I would start with adding until you get the right consistency and going from there.
I'm confused - is chemengineer trading tri-sodium phosphate? TSP? Is Costco cornering the market? TSP is available in liquid form? I get in enough trouble doing the wash (max hot, max cycle, 1600rpm spin) - using a special homebrew blend detergent would put my gal over the edge.
Anyone else got some cheap recipes that they want to share?
OK, here's the drain cleaning recipe given to me by my dad, a plumber by trade:
1/2 cup baking soda (i.e., Arm & Hammer) NOT washing soda as it can damage PVC pipe when combined with the vinegar
1 cup white vinegar -- heated in microwave till hot
Pour the baking soda into the drain. Then slowly add the hot vinegar. The mixture will fizz and bubble. Wait about 15 minutes and flush drain with a quart or so of boiling water.
Done. I do this every month or so to keep the shower drain clear of soap gunk, etc.
__________________ The best things in life....are not things.
I love the drain cleaner idea and will try it soon since they are ingredients I can actually get.
Our water is very hard, and liquid soaps here rinse much cleaner on the hands than bar soaps, so I imagine the same is true for laundry (perhaps mis-guidedly).
Related; I found an interesting alternative to commercial conventional toothpaste:
If you investigate further the "prickly ash bark" ingredient is important, but inbetween uses (and a major component of the IPSAB) is just salt and baking soda in equal quantities.
I'd like to get some of the powder, since powder toothpaste has basically disappeared but would now be very convenient for travelers faced with the exaggerated gel/liquids ban.
Last edited by ladelfina; 10-20-2007 at 06:13 PM.
Reason: I didn't mean to imply this wasn't a "commercial" offering.
I'd like to get some of the powder, since powder toothpaste has basically disappeared but would now be very convenient for travelers faced with the exaggerated gel/liquids ban.
Not to mention how much toothpaste costs relative to its volume. If theres a different way to get at it cheaply, its worth looking into.
Quote:
Originally Posted by calmloki
I'm confused - is chemengineer trading tri-sodium phosphate? TSP? Is Costco cornering the market? TSP is available in liquid form? I get in enough trouble doing the wash (max hot, max cycle, 1600rpm spin) - using a special homebrew blend detergent would put my gal over the edge.
TSP=Thrift Savings Plan. The government equivalent to a 401k. There some opportunities to play the market with it, and that link takes you to the moves Ive made in that regard.
Here is my recipe for cleaning very very dirty windows:
One pint rubbing alcohol
2 T liquid dish soap
2T ammonia
Stir
Apply to window with a scrubbing sponge or sea sponge
Use on very dirty windows without adding water. Some of our exterior windows were so dirty I thought they were etched. The usual windex type cleaners didn't work. This worked beautifully.
Most of our floors are wood. The best cleaner I have found is just a damp rag. If extra dirty, maybe a touch of vinegar.
__________________ .
Do not rely on the information provided--my posts are not to be taken as legal advice. Needless to say you must consult with your legal representative. I am not responsible for errors. If I offended you with cya I apologize. If I did not, I tried.
Ah, and the Borax is handy for preserving fish eggs for bait, so says same DH.
And to get rid of those carpenter ants.
__________________ .
Do not rely on the information provided--my posts are not to be taken as legal advice. Needless to say you must consult with your legal representative. I am not responsible for errors. If I offended you with cya I apologize. If I did not, I tried.
2 egg yolks
1/3 tsp tabassco
2 drops soap
42 oz water
put it in a plastic water bottle to put on plants. do not use something with a sprayer - when the egg yolk dries, it clogs the spray nozzle.
__________________
I would not have anyone adopt my mode of living...but I would have each one be very careful to find out and pursue his own way, and not his father's or his mother's or his neighbor's instead. Thoreau, Walden
I learned about talcom powder for sugar ants while in AU (they don't like to walk on it). Carpenter ants are a pest in our area so the next time I see any I will give it a go.
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Losing my whump
Posts: 22,526
For carpenter ants, I used carbaryl dust (Sevin). In a hand dust pump, pump it directly on the ants, and any entry/exits they use. They pick up and carry the dust back to the nest and die there later, tracking and carrying a bunch of it along with them. Eventually the nest gets a critical mass of the dust and they either die off or decide to move the nest.
__________________
Many an optimist has become rich by buying out a pessimist
I learned about talcom powder for sugar ants while in AU (they don't like to walk on it). Carpenter ants are a pest in our area so the next time I see any I will give it a go.
Don't know if this works for carpenter ants, but household ants also won't walk thru regular blackboard chalk
__________________ The best things in life....are not things.
I use crumpled newspaper on windows and mirrors to give them a nice shine after washing them.
Ditto that - and the Wall Street Journal is the best paper for it: harder paper, fewer paper bits sloughing off on the glass.
Boric acid (eye wash powder found in the drug store) put into a plastic ketchup container and puffed at baseboards and into outlets is the thing for roaches, which on rare occasion have moved into our places with a new tenant (roaches think cardboard box corugations are little tenements).
2 egg yolks
1/3 tsp tabassco
2 drops soap
42 oz water
put it in a plastic water bottle to put on plants. do not use something with a sprayer - when the egg yolk dries, it clogs the spray nozzle.
I wish I would have had that this summer! We just bought a house on 3 acres and planted a HUGE garden (25'x75'). It was going great until the deer found it. They brought it down in 3 nights.
Ill keep this as reference for next year. (Unless I start a fall garden after all...)
Quote:
Linear Mode
