Homemade Powder Laundry Detergent

     I'm sharing with you my absolute favorite thing in my entire household (aside from my dog and husband). I never thought I would see the day where I got SO excited about laundry soap. But, low and behold the day has come and I still get excited every time I make it, and share the recipe with others. So many people don't realize how many chemicals are in everyday products we use and love, and don't bother to research those kinds of things. As time has passed, my husband and I have become more and more aware of these horrible things in products we use and done our best to eliminate them.

     Unfortunately, there is also a lot of misleading advertising out there, as we all know. A lot of the chemicals that are actually in these detergents, aren't even listed on the container... Not cool, I know. So, I looked around online and I compiled a good list of the main ingredients you want to avoid-that are actually usually listed on the detergents ingredients list. The list is below:

     Kinda turns your stomach, huh? Mine too. Hence why I made the switch over to homemade. At least I know what's going into it. Now, I've had people tell me a million times that I'm crazy for trying to eliminate all kinds of toxins from my life because the world we're living in already has so many. That's fine, call me crazy but if I'm able to eliminate any unnecessary toxins from our life-I will. Plain and simple. Why should I expose myself if I don't have to?

     Now, getting into the actual recipe. It seems tedious at first, but the more often you do it, the easier it gets, and it's not like you have to do it very often because the batches yield pretty large amounts. 

Supplies:

-Blender or Food Processor

-Hand grater

-Medium Containers (one for permanent storage, another just for the process of making the soap)

-1 C Measuring Cup 

-1 Tablespoon Measuring Spoon, for permanent use inside the container you're storing your soap in

Ingredients:

-1 Box 20 Mule Team Borax (1 cup per bar of soap/batch)

-1 Box Arm + Hammer Washing Soda (1 cup per bar of soap/batch)
-Dr. Bronners Castille Bar Soap (1 bar per 1 cup of Borax/Washing Soda)
  ^You can use Fels-Naptha, Ivory or Zote, but I prefer Dr. Bronners because it is natural, GMO free and fair trade. Obviously at $2.99/bar, it is a little more pricey than Fels-Naptha ($0.99/bar) but to me, the benefits are obvious and the cost/load is still cheaper than Tide, Seventh Generation, etc.,

Instructions:
Step 1- Determine how large of a batch you want to make. For this one, I used 2 cups of Borax, 2 cups of Washing Soda and 2 bars of Dr. Bronners soap, which yielded about 104 tablespoons of detergent (Yes-I counted out tablespoons for you...) Take one of the containers, and pour in the 2 cups each of Borax/Washing Soda and stir to mix.

Step 2- My least favorite! Take the bars of soap, un-wrap them and start grating!!!! Yes, it sucks and yes you'll probably feel a burn but it'll be over sooner than you think! Grate both bars completely down, and after they are grated, mix that into the container with the Borax/Washing Soda mixture.


Step 3- Blender time! This step isn't necessary to a lot of people, but for me it is. I've seen people just simply stop making it here, and leave the grated pieces of soap in the mixture, but I prefer to blend it all into a fine powder, because that way I don't have to worry about making sure it dissolves completely in the washer. It's just less trouble in the end, this way. Take the 1 C measuring cup, and scoop 1 to 1.5 c of the detergent mixture into the blender. Blend until it's a fine powder. This make take 20-30 seconds. make sure you stop blending and carefully stir it around every so often. It may cake up at the bottom of the blender, but just take a fork and tap it out. No harm done! Keep going 1-1.5 C at a time, until it's all been blended into a fine powder. As you get each cup to that fine powder, just go ahead and dump it into the container you're planning on using for storage. (If you see any chunks when you pour the powder into the final container, just tap it with a fork or spoon and the chunks will fall right apart)

A big container like this, allows me to make sure everything
is finely grated as much as it can be, and allows me to
get rid of any chunks in the powder stuck
together from the blender. 

Step 4- You can blend everything through one more time, just to be sure-if you choose. Since everything is finely blended at this point, I usually put somewhere between 2-2.5 cups of mixture at a time in the blender. I just like to make sure it's as fine as it can be.

My jar, with an adorable chalkboard sticker that I wrote
the text on. Love the idea that I can wipe it off, and
change it up whenever I want! :) 

Step 5- You're done! See, it was that simple. Now, just put the powder into a container with a lid and your tablespoon, and enjoy your natural, nasty chemical-free, soap! I made jars, which I will be posting the DIY instructions for soon. I think the glass jar looks so nice and clean vs the plastic container I used to use. Plus, it was fun to make the jar and design it :)
Note: You will notice the lack of suds when you use this for the first time. Don't worry, it's still working just as well as any other detergent (I personally think it works better!!) So, don't freak out about not seeing a million bubbles, just let it work its magic. :)

How Much Do I Use?
Per load, I typically use 1-1.5 tablespoons. If the load is extra soiled or extra large, I use 2-2.5 tablespoons. Just depends. Using anymore than that, I see as being unnecessary unless you're washing some REALLY dirty clothes, which in that case I still wouldn't suggest using more than 3 tablespoons. It'll work just fine!

You'll notice there won't be much of a scent to the clothes after washing because there aren't any artificial perfumes/fragrances in the detergent. To combat that, I found that I absolutely LOVE Mrs Meyers dryer sheets, which can be found in a variety of scents at Target. They are eco-friendly, biodegradable and they use a vegetable-derived softener in these sheets. They come in a variety of great fresh scents such as lavender, basil, geranium and my favorite-lemon verbena.

Do you have any laundry tricks/secrets that you love? Share them in the comments!

Happy Washing!
-Taylor

P.S. I broke down the numbers, and the homemade detergent costs between $0.08 and $0.11 per load, depending on how much powder you use each load. $0.08 is if you used all 104 scoops of the double batch, as single scoop loads. $0.11 is if you use larger scoops per load. These numbers compare to Tide for example, which in a container including detergent for 110 loads, breaks down to costing $0.15/load. Seventh Generation detergent, breaks down to costing about $0.31/load.

     If you use another soap instead of Dr. Bronners, the cost per load drops even more, as the bars of soap are up to $2-2.50 cheaper than the Dr. Bronners is. But, as I stated earlier, I use Dr. Bronners for several reasons, another being the amazing variety of natural scents. My favorites are the peppermint, lavender and rose.

Making Money With FREE iPhone Apps?!? (Count me in!!)

     Basically everything I see out there, that is advertising free money, I am VERY skeptical about, but over the last couple of months, I've done a lot of research and have found several apps that have actually made me over $70.00 in under 40 days. I've also gotten into couponing, which has definitely saved my husband and I a ton and given us a nice back stock on a lot of things we won't have to worry about buying again, for a while.

     As far as the apps are concerned though, I will start off by saying they're very easy to use. To me, something being easy to use is huge. Yes, I'm young and good with technology but I don't want to have to sit and mess around with something for 25 minutes before I can even start using it. That's why I've compiled this list, to help everyone out and make a few bucks. 

     I can assure you none of these are scams, as I use them myself, and have not had any issues with any of them. They are ALL legit, and all FREE to use!!!:)

Here's a picture showing a collage with my earnings, currently,
which are even higher since it's been a couple of days.

     PLEASE MAKE SURE, to use my referral code, listed below each app description, to earn extra bonuses when you download the apps!! If there is a link available, I HIGHLY suggest pulling this post up on your mobile phone, and accessing it by clicking the links that way, so that you'll have a seamless entrance into the app store and the app itself. If there is an actual code, just enter the code within the app once you download it. 

Enjoy!!! 

1.) Cartwheel by Target 

     Cartwheel is absolutely awesome, and though it isn't a money maker, it technically can be when you combine it with other coupons and stack them. Anyhow, it's a great app by Target that updates every so often, and gives great savings by % off on tons of items. There's about 600 items on the app right now with savings. The savings range from 5-50% usually, and sometimes are even good on clearance items. What I love, is that they have offers on food, housewares, clothes, and basically everything in the store. You simply browse the offers (you can even scan items in store with your phone and it will tell you if there's any available offers) and then add them to your cartwheel, then they scan the barcode on your phone at checkout. We've saved over $40.00 in the last few months with this one. 

2.) ibotta

     Ibotta is a free app that gives you cash back on items you purchase at various retailers like Target, Wegmans, Walmart, Hannaford, Sam's Club, Walgreens, CVS, etc., Places like Lowe's, Best Buy and even pet stores and movie theaters have offers. With this one, all you have to do is click the store you'd like to look under, and swipe through the available offers. It will tell you how much of a rebate is available on it, and then when you select items, you'll simply complete little tasks, such as learning facts or sharing on Facebook. Again, super simple! When you're ready to redeem your offers, all you have to do is submit a picture of your receipt, which they walk you through and make very simple for you. They have a great explanation on their website. You can cash out to a PayPal or a Venmo account once you reach $5.00, or you can even redeem your savings as a Regal cinemas, Starbucks, RedBox or iTunes gift card.
**If you use my referral code, you get a $2.00 Bonus automatically!!!!!

Referral Link: http://ibotta.com/r/QyHkhg 

3.) Checkout51

     This app updates with new offers every Thursday morning, and includes a lot of awesome things to also get cash back on. Offers this week include $1 back on 2 Pop Tarts, $1 back on BearNaked Granola and even $0.25 on blueberries. This one is the same kind of concept as ibotta, except you don't need to complete the mini-tasks in order to get the savings. So, in a sense it's a little easier because you only need to upload a photo of your receipt. You can cash out to PayPal once your account balance reaches $20.00 

NO Referral Link

4.) Checkpoints 

     This one is neat because you use a points system, to eventually earn rewards. You can do something as simple as "check in" at a qualifying store, to earn points, and then scan different items it lists, in the store to earn even more. They also have little mini games you can earn points on as well. You can get tons of points from referring your friends, and doing other offers, too! This is also really easy, but not a direct "cash back" app. 

Referral Link: Simply find & download the app, in the app store and enter referral code within the app: tanderson32 

5.) shopkick

     This one, is similar to checkpoints, with earning points for various rewards. It's super easy to use, and you also earn points by checking in at stores, which is as simple as just opening the app when you walk inside, and then scanning various items it has listed, which is just as easy as it sounds, using your phone. You can also earn points just by referring friends with this one, as well! The rewards are pretty awesome, they include but aren't limited to... Purses, gift cards, digital cameras, and even cruises, a Vespa and a Kitchen Aid Mixer!!! You will also have access to special sales, etc., with this.

Referral Link: http://get.shopkick.com/pleasanton19329

6.) Shopmium 

     I'm fairly new to this app, but I really like it so far, and right now there's a promotion where if you download it, and enter my referral code, you can get a free Lindt chocolate bar! Similar to ibotta and Checkout51, you purchase your items and upload photos of your receipts. Though, with this app, it will accept the receipts from just about any store (it has a list). With this, after uploading your receipts, it will automatically credit your PayPal account with the money as soon as it verifies your receipt, which doesn't take long at all!!
**FREE Lindt Chocolate Bar when you use my code!

Referral Link: http://shopmium.com/en/app or just search in app store, download and then enter referral code: GHYMCHWN

7.) Scantopia

     This one is SO easy!! I downloaded it only a few days ago, and have already earned $4.10. Basically, all you do is go around your kitchen or house, and scan items with barcodes, then earn "tokens" and even cash on some of the items. It allows you a certain # of scans/30 minutes, but if you have an extra 5 minutes here and there, it's worth making a couple bucks. There's daily "super scans" every day, and they are random items that if you're lucky enough to have them in your house, you will earn up to $0.25. (That's the highest I've seen, could be more) There are coupons you earn from scanning, too. The coupons you can select if you want them or not, and if you choose yes when they pop up, they will simply be emailed to you, and you can print them out. There's a jackpot, that you use your points/tokens to use as entries to win, and the amount can be up to $1,000.00. Pretty cool, and easy concept. Also, a good one to earn with referrals. 

Referral Link: Find Scantopia in app store, when you download it, enter code 6M-KAX-CB

8.) Mobee 

     Mobee shows a map, and lists different stores, in which you can select "missions."When you click a place on the map, it will tell you how many points are available at the locations, and what you have to do for them. Basically, it involves a low minimum purchase, which at places on the list like Dunkin Donuts is super easy to do, if you're just stopped for a coffee, anyways!! It can have you take a picture, upload your receipt photo, etc., This one is also very, very easy and the rewards add up quickly! You earn $1 of reward for every 100 pts, and can even select charities to donate to, off of the rewards list. Things on the list include a TON of store gift card options, and even PayPal, as well. 

Referral Link: Find Mobee in App Store, and earn an extra $3.00 use code: QSHT 

9.) TapBooty

     Yes, I know the name of it sounds.... inappropriate. I can assure you though, it's not! This is probably the easiest thing I've ever done on my phone to earn money. No joke. All you have to do with this one, is create an account, and it shows you a list of apps (mostly all of them are free and I've only ever done the free app options...) and you just click to download them. It tells you next to each app to download, how many points you will earn from it, and trust me it adds up quickly!! What I do, is download a bunch of the apps up for offers to save time. After downloading a bunch of them, I open the first one up, play the game or mess around within the app for about 45-60 seconds, and then exit out of the app, go back into the web browser that has the main page pulled up, and then it notifies me that I've earned the points from it. After doing it with all of the apps I've downloaded, I can delete them off of my phone and that's all!! My husband and I each have this on our phones and just do it in our downtime while watching tv, etc., We both earned $30.00 EACH last month, and it went right to our PayPal. We made $60.00 for downloading and deleting apps... How crazy is that?!

Referral Link: https://www.tapbooty.com/r/YpCiMm5

10.) ReceiptHog

     This is basically what it sounds like, and it's soooo easy as well. All you have to do with this, is upload your receipts after you shop. That's it! With each receipt, you earn coins and you earn spins to earn more coins with. For every 1000 coins, you earn a $5 Cash or $5 Amazon Giftcard, payout! You'll earn an extra 5 spins, with my link! 

Referral Link: http://app.receipthog.com/share/pms291si

I hope you enjoy all of these, and especially the free money in your pocket!! 

-Taylor