Stuff We Don't Buy // Part 4

4. Laundry Detergent

I began making my own detergent using a 1:1 ratio of Borax ($3.97 at my local grocery store) and Super Washing Soda (also $3.97 at my local grocery store) and Kirk's Original Coconut Oil Castile Soap ($3.55 at my local grocery store).  At the most, I have to purchase these items 3 times a year for a total of $34.47 - I typically do 1-2 loads of laundry per week so this is pretty inexpensive when it comes to laundry detergent. I usually have lavender essential oils on hand so I will add a few drops to the detergent and store it in a jar in our laundry room.

When it comes to bleach, I use ingredients I already have to make this natural homemade bleach alternative and so far, it's worked quite well.

We also pass on purchasing dryer sheets - I know they make laundry smell good but other than that, I just don't see the point. I recently learned that you can crumple up some tin foil and throw it in the dryer to capture most of the lint onto the lint trap so I guess that's our alternative.