Watch right now!! The Duggar's are making thier own soap!

Tonite the Duggars are on showing how they save money! They are gonna show how they make their own soap, just what we were talking about on the other thread!! I am soooo gonna try now!
Gotta go the comercial is over ! LOL!

 

I was watching it too. Tried to see if it was more detailed on their website but didn't find it.

I'm not super adventurous in this area so if you try it....let us know if it works well. Fpr those who didn't see it on tv....it was laundry soap.

Rhonda

 

I do not know what they used to make their laundry detergent but I started making my own and it is waaayyy cheaper and I like the way it works.

 

About how much do you ladies spend making the soap? And then how long does it last?

 

I have yet to come up with a total savings since I still have a lot of extras left to make more. Once I use it all, I will know how much I am saving. So far, I have spent about $5.64 for the ingredients and have made six gallons. I still have enough ingredients to make four more gallons. Then I will need to get more Zote for .88 cents and I should be able to make six more gallons. So at this rate, I will be looking at $6.52 plus tax for 16 gallons of laundry detergent.
I do not use washing soda like many who make laundry detergent do. I use regular baking soda and the clothes still come out very clean. I was able to get a box of Borax at Walmart for $2.88, two bars of Zote for 1.76 cents at Big Lots and baking soda for $1 at Big Lots.

I have tried two different recipes and the last one I liked much more than the first. The recipe also called for Oxy Clean. I found a generic brand for $2.00 for a large tub at Big Lots. I added a couple of scoops to the detergent and I like it. I still have a lot of the oxy cleaner left for other batches. The first recipe worked and I liked it but I like that this recipe takes out the grease in Handsome's work clothes.

We have a thread on laundry detergent. Some people have already broke down their cost. But no matter what recipe you use, it is all cost efficient, it really works, and it lasts. I have been able to give a couple of gallons away already and still have enough to spare.

 

I saw it last night I was hoping they would do more details on the organizing part of their family food pantry but they didnt. The laundry soap they said should last a month. Anyone find anything on the web about it?

 

Here is a recipe for the dry laundry soap. I'm trying this out next month. I should be done with my 20lb box of laundry detergent by then and I'll just reuse the plastic tub for my homemade stuff.

FYI- I got this from another lady ( on a different site) and she has used this same recipe for over a year now, with great results ( she said). Another lady said the same thing ( she used the same recipe also).


One 4 1/2 oz. bar Fels Naptha or Ivory soap
1 cup borax
1 cup Arm and Hammer washing soda

Finely grate bar of soap into a lg. bowl (smallest grate on grater)
add borax and washing soda, mix thoroughly.
One batch fits into a Qt. canning Jar.

Use 1-2 Tablespoons per load of Laundry

Can use 1/4 cup vinegar in rinse cycle.

**** If clothes are not getting white enough for you , go ahead and add 1 cup of OxyClean to the mix, remix all ingredients together.




Also if you miss the Duggars show on Mondays, it re-airs on Discovery Health Channel on WEDNESDAY Night (that week's show) and SATURDAY mornings ( the week befores show)!!!

 

At first I wondered why the soap didn't last too long but then I remembered they have how many people in their home compared to my three. LOL

 

frugalcountrymom:

I have a food storage pantry. I learned how to do it from my LDS friends ( all LDS members are encouraged to have a food storage supply of at least 6 months per person for jobloss, hurricanes, snowstorms, etc).
Some do canned food and dry goods, some do dehydrated foods and dry goods for easier storage but you need twice as much water storage ( IMHO).

This website is good:

http://theideadoor.com/FoodStorage.html

I don't do the wheat storage and stuff. I do canned goods that don't require water to cook with ( I try to keep my water for us to drink) or if it requires water its VERY minimal ( like instant oatmeal, cup of soups).
I like to get some foods that have high vitamin contents also.
So the basics I have are :

Canned veggies
Canned fruits
Canned chili
Canned beans
Instant rice ( doesn't take as much water to cook)
Instant oatmeal
Non-condensed soups ( no added water needed)
Dry spices
Oil
Powdered milk


I use a permanent marker to write on top of the canned goods the exp. date that the cans say ( because its so small to begin with and its easier to see). Then I rotate the older stuff to the front, put the new stuff in the back. All my water bottles are in the pantry also, not the garage because of the temperature fluctuation.

First-aid kits, camping supplies, personal hygenie supplies and important documents box all go on one storage shelf unit in the garage next to the door for easy transport ( in case we need to leave fast).

You should be able to find food storage books at the library also. I just re-read a book called :

How to develop a low-cost family food-storage system / by Anita Evangelista

Hope that helps some.

 

.....if I am not mistaken ( and that NEVER happens~LOL) they said that once they dilute the mixture two five gallon buckets will last 2 months!

 

Crystal thanks for the link and the ideas I was wondering how I was going to rotate my stuff didnt even think of the marker. My hubby just got me a book called "Just in case how to be self-sufficient when the unpexted happens. I havent had time to read it but I plan to take it with me when I go see his family this Thanksgiving to give me something to read.

Last payday I have already saved over $50 on just not buying double because I know what I have I can't wait to get more organized.

Always makes me feel so secure when I see my pantry full

I want my cubboard to look like the duggars haha

Sam

 

Thanks for the reminder!

The news is always telling us to prepare for "the big one" that I have become so immune to it. Honestly, I should prepare for a disaster even if it isn't an earthquake.

 

The Duggars melted their ground soap on the stove until dissolved and then added the other ingredients and water to fill a 5 gallon bucket, let it set overnight and then put in the dispensers (adding half soap mixture, half water)...so that it was really 10 gallons worth. They do like 180 loads a month or something like that. So basically the 10 gallons would do 360 loads. That would last me for a LONG time....wonder if it stores well over time?

 

The recipe that I use only calls for 1/3 bar of felts napa and I think it is 1/2 a cup of the borax and washing soda. Works great for us. I like that hand crank grinder they were using though. I use box grater and am always worried about getting my fingers when we get down low. I am going to have to check out thrift stores and garage sales for one like theirs.

I want a thrift shop like their though. That one was so big compared to the ones around here. We have a bunch within driving distance but it would be nice to have a large one close by. I also do not know if I could do second hand shoes, clothing yes shoes I do not know.

 

1) I wonder how the home made soap fairs in the new HE washing machines.

2) my uncle was a foot doctor and said you should never wear hand me down shoes!!!! thats because everyone's feet are shaped differently. And after you wear your shoes for a while they form to your feet.

 

Somewhere on this thread it says that the soap fairs well in the HE washing machine. I think it is post #10.

http://www.homeschoolspot.com/showthread.php?t=13209&highlight=laundry+detergent

 

Ok I just tried making a batch of my own laundry soap. The recipe I used called for one bar of fels naptha soap, 2 cups washing soda, and 2 cups borax. I followed the directions exactly and then let the soap sit....now my question is should the soap kind of separate? it' like a VERY thick gel on top and a thin yellowish liquid on bottom...is this normal? The recipe does say to stir each time before I use it but still I'm wondering if I did something wrong or if it just didn't work or what????

 

Yes, this is normal!
I shake my bottle before each load. Depending on how much of everything you use, will depend on just how much it gels.

 

Ok...good cause I think hubby would have been VERY upset with me if I wasted all that good stuff and messed up the soap.

 

Last night we were watching the Duggar's~a rerun of where they make their own detergent~and dh said, "SO that's where you got that idea from!!" I said, "NO!!! I got it from my girls at Homeschool spot!!" LOL!!!!