Save Money on Laundry Detergent

Are you constantly doing laundry? Does it feel like you are always buying laundry detergent?

If you are anything like me, I have four kids and I am doing at least two loads of laundry each day. – These are good days when no one is muddy, wet, or has accidents… which is rare... so that means I am usually doing more laundry-right?


What is in your current laundry detergent? 

Most common laundry detergents contain a chemical called 1,4-Dioxane. This chemical is harmful to the body and is also in paints and varnishes. This chemical is said to present danger to respiratory systems and cancer-causing properties.

How do these chemicals get in your body?

The chemicals go from your clothes and absorb into your skin (your largest organ). This is scary because our clothes sit on our skin and most people aren’t aware that our skin absorbs these things so easily.



Let’s get rid of the yuck…

It is important to always do your own research when it comes to products you use in your home. Many people don’t do research because they think these products must be okay since they are being sold in the stores or they feel they don’t have the time to research.

A great way to know you are using great products is to make your own laundry detergent.


Ingredients Needed: 

2 Gallon Container (preferably one with a spigot like this)

Super Washing Soda

Borax powder or baking soda

Dr. Bronners Castile Soap

Thieves Cleaner

Distilled Water


How to Make: 

Fill up your 2 Gallon container ¾ full of distilled water. Grab a small pitcher and fill it about ¾ full of distilled water.

Slowly pour ½ cup of Super Washing Soda into the pitcher –while stirring to ensure there aren’t any clumps. 

Tip: If the Super Washing Soda is coming out of the box in clumps try to use a spoon and smash the clumps so you can ensure your laundry detergent doesn’t have those clumps.

While stirring the mixture in the pitcher—slowly pour ½ cup of Borax or Baking soda into the Washing Soda mixture.

Next, you will add ¾ cup of Dr. Bronners Castile Soap into the pitcher – again, while stirring. 

Tip: I use the baby unscented Dr. Bronners Castile Soap because I don’t want my clothes to have a scent to them—example: if I bought a lavender scented soap and I am washing my husband’s clothes, he wouldn’t like that he smells like lavender all day.

The easiest part is adding two capfuls of the Thieves Cleaner into the pitcher. Mix well.

Pour the mixture into the 2-gallon container. Put the cover on and shake.

Use 1/3 cup of laundry detergent per load of laundry.




What to keep in mind?

  1. If you want the detergent to come out quicker through the spigot then you will open the lid a little to relieve some of the pressure—making it easier to come out. This is something that I do when the detergent is starting to get low.
  2. The first couple times you use the detergent you will have to shake the container to mix the detergent. This is something I do once a day for the first week. When it is done in the morning or for your first load of laundry that day—then it usually stays mixed pretty well for the remainder of the day.

How does this save you money?

Okay… so here’s the fun stuff. Keep in mind that these are approximations.


Borax: $9.99/pound and you are using approximately 3.6 ounces/2 gallons

This comes out to be $1.12/gallon


Super Washing Soda: $4.12/55 ounces and you are using approximately 3.6 ounces/2 gallons

This comes out to be $0.13/gallon


Dr Bronners Castile Soap: $18.50/32 ounces and you are using approximately 6 ounces/2 gallons

This comes out to be $1.73/gallon


Thieves Household Cleaner: (wholesale membership price) $23.50/14.4 fluid ounces and you are using approximately .48 ounces/2 gallons

This comes out to be $0.40/gallon


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What does this mean? If you add all the prices per gallon you will get $3.38 per gallon. It is very difficult to find a laundry detergent on the market for that price per gallon.

How long does this last? This is hard to say because it depends on how many loads of laundry you do per day. Being I do at least two loads of laundry per day – I have only made this laundry detergent 3 times in an 8 months period and I still have LOTS of ingredients left to make more.

Calculating how many loads if you are using 1/3 cup of laundry detergent per load of laundry then this comes out to be about 50 loads of laundry per gallon. If you are using a 2-gallon container per the recipe above—then this comes out to being 100 loads of laundry at $6.76!

 


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Meet Heather Martin

 
The sterile scent of hospitals, the hushed, hopeful whispers, and the gnawing fear that lives in every waiting room – these became the unwanted backdrop of my life. It wasn't a single event, but a relentless series of challenges that slowly, profoundly, reshaped my understanding of health and ultimately, my purpose.

It began with my own daughter's cancer diagnosis. The helplessness I felt was amplified a thousandfold. As we navigated her treatment, I scrutinized every aspect of her care, seeking not just survival, but thriving. I began to ask different questions, looking beyond the conventional to see how diet, lifestyle, and a holistic approach could support her body through the immense challenges she faced.

Then, the world tilted on its axis with my beloved father. His terminal cancer diagnosis was a crushing blow, an unyielding reality that traditional medicine, for all its marvels, couldn't alter. We watched, we hoped, we grieved. In the midst of that raw pain, a seed of curiosity took root: Was there more to healing than what we were being told?

My own body then sent a jarring message. I experienced a hemiplegic migraine, an terrifying event that starkly mimicked stroke-like symptoms. The sudden loss of function, the fear, the uncertainty – it was a profound wake-up call. It forced me to confront my own health, which I had unconsciously neglected while caring for others. It was in that moment of vulnerability that I truly understood the interconnectedness of mind, body, and spirit.

I realized then that I didn't just want to heal; I wanted to understand why we get sick and how to build true, resilient health from the ground up. I wanted to change the trajectory of my own life, and more importantly, my family's life, away from chronic illness and towards vibrant well-being.

This intense, personal journey ignited an unshakeable passion within me. I devoured knowledge, exploring functional nutrition, mind-body practices, and the profound impact of lifestyle on health. I became an integrative health practitioner because I couldn't keep this newfound understanding to myself. My deepest desire is to guide others through their own health challenges, to empower them with the knowledge and tools to create their own new beginnings, and to help them rewrite their family's health story, just as I've strived to do for my own. It's not just a profession; it's a calling born from love, loss, and a relentless hope for a healthier future for all.
 

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