Thursday, December 24, 2009

Homemade Laundry Detergent--Powdered

Coupon clipping, green living, and homemade cleaners. These are all ways friends and family are trying to save money and live more frugally. In our family, we are experimenting with homemade laundry detergent. An average of 8 loads of laundry each week equates to $988/year (52 weeks) spent at the laundry mat for washing and drying. Line drying would reduce this cost to about $572/year--a $416 savings. Perhaps this summer we'll look into arranging a portable clothesline! In the meantime, as far as laundry goes, the place we have opportunity to save is with our detergent. We figure we're spending roughly $50-70 a year on detergent.

We've heard good testimonies of people saving money by making their own laundry detergent. So we thought we'd give it a try. Here are the questions we're asking:

1. Is it really worth the time and effort to make it at home verses buying cheaper brands?
2. Is there really a savings?
3. Is there a difference between the powdered and liquid recipes?
4. How effective are the detergent solutions?

One particular recipe was recommended by friends and so it's the first one we tried. This recipe is a powdered mix calling for Borax, Arm & Hammer Laundry Soda, and Fels Naptha bar soap. Borax was on sale at our local grocery for $2.99, regularly priced at $4.99. (One should note that discount stores carry the same amount of Borax in a differently shaped box for the regular price of $2.98.) The Laundry Soda at the local grocery was $2.79/box. Fels Naptha was $1.98/bar. The recipe requires two bars. I have been unable to locate the soda and bar soap at local discount stores. Our recipe called for:
1 cup Borax
1 cup Laundry Soda
2 cups Fels Naptha (2 bars)

Use 1-2 tbsp per load

Our math tells us that one batch of this powdered detergent would cost $4.58 to make. At 2 tablespoons per load it would service approximately 32 loads making the cost per load 14 cents. Our local discount stores sells powdered detergent brands that average 9-14 cents per load. Comparing powdered detergents, this recipe does not appear to be much of a savings. At 9 cents that's $37.44 for a years worth of detergent. At 14 cents a load, $58.24 a year.

Some online recipes substitute Ivory soap for the Fels Naptha. The Ivory bars are a bit smaller and cost us 37.5 cents per bar. This drops the per load price for the recipe to 5 cents a load using 2 Ivory bars and 6 cents a load using 3 Ivory bars. Using the Ivory alternative would cost $24.96 per year for detergent. That would be a $33.28 savings per year compared to the 14 cent price.

CONCLUSIONS FOR POWDERED DETERGENT:
1. Is it really worth the time and effort to make it at home verses buying cheaper brands?
It appears that with powdered detergents, the savings would be to make the recipe with the Ivory soap. Even if you had to use 3 bars to equal the 2 cups required for the recipe it's still cheaper than the Fels Naptha recipe and the more expensive store bought powders. However, looking only at cost, the cheapest store bought powder was also 6 cents per load making this comparable to the Ivory recipe. For powdered detergents, our vote on this question is NO.

2. Is there really a savings?
Only if you're switching from a name brand to the Ivory version of the recipe. The same could be accomplished by switching to a generic store bought brand.

3. Is there a difference between the powdered and liquid recipes?
At a quick glance, the liquid recipes appear to reduce the cost per load to 1-2 cents. Most of these recipes use the same ingredients as the the powder.


4. How effective are the detergent solutions?
We've been very impressed with the quality of our Fels Naptha recipe. It does just as good of job on our clothing as the store bought stuff. We're washing kid clothes and construction clothes in addition to everyday items such as linens and towels. The purfumy smell of the home made recipe is very strong in the box although not very noticeable on finished clothes. We have yet to try the Ivory version of the powder, but will be doing so as soon as we've used up the Fels Naptha version.

Monday, December 21, 2009

RV Oven Cooking

Cooking in an RV is always a challenge. A tiny oven, no air circulation, and a rack that sits almost on top of the flame. We've tried a variety of tactics to increase our cooking success both with the oven and by using other means. Here's some of our favorites:

1. Use stoneware (Pampered Chef). The stoneware absorbs the heat more evenly and helps keep the bottoms of things from burning. It can be used for biscuits, bacon, chicken, potatoes, and anything else you'd normally bake in the oven. Sometimes rotation is still needed to brown the tops of things evenly. For some foods, adding a foil lid will help with the top browning.

2. Reduce the recipe's required temperature by 25-50 degrees.

3. Experiment with preheating or not preheating. So far, breads and cookies seem to do better with preheating, but everything else does great warming up with the oven.

4. Use the microwave or stovetop instead. Using the Deep Covered Baker (from Pampered Chef) allows you to cook a huge variety of meals in the microwave that come out tasting like they're from the oven. Chicken, pork, meatloaf, enchiladas, dump cake, and so much more. On the stovetop you can make skillet pizzas and a variety of one dish skillet meals.

5. When the weather allows, use the grill. Meats, veggies, and even breads can be cooked on the grill. Find a good grilling cookbook or search online for grill recipes.

6. Begin the practice of Dutch Oven cooking. It's not as complicated as it sounds and can be quite fun and rewarding. Plus, the extra iron in the diet can be a benefit for a lot of us. A great cookbook for beginners (and not so beginners) is Loving' Dutch Oven Cooking. Available from Cabella's: http://www.cabelas.com/


In this photo:
Coffee brewing in percolator from Sportsmans Warehouse, gravy from mix made in small microwave bowl from Pampered Chef, biscuits baked on Medium Bar Pan from Pampered Chef.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Wind Advisory

Awakened at 3am with wind gusts up to 50mph. Not the most fun way to begin a day. Intermixed with the wind was the sound of little ice pebbles hitting the roof. It's kind of funny to wake up from a half-sleep dream thinking that someone is stealing your travel trailer with you inside and the slides still out! While you know this is something only for a Hollywood movie, the dizziness created by the wind tells you it must be true. You begin to argue with yourself. The sounds of traffic on the nearby road serves to convince you the motion you feel must be accurate. The windchimes from the trailer two pads down convinces you that you are passing a cow farm. You say to yourself, "Get up!! Look out the window! Someone is stealing us!" In your dream state you look out the window... for pretend... and find cars speeding by and no one seeming to give any concern to an RV being towed down the road with slides out and Christmas lights, power cords, and drainage pipes dangling behind. Fighting to pull yourself out of the dream, you finally win over your brain to consciousness. There you find yourself relieved to be sitting on the same pad of concrete from which you seemingly left. And oh so thankful it was all just the wind and your brain playing a trick.

So, in Wizard of Oz winds, is it better to leave slides in or out? Stay with the ship or abandon ship? Is it helpful to have skirting around the trailer to reduce wind-flow from underneath?