Non-food items

[MYellowRose]

I'm curious to you folks thoughts on buying non-food items. Do you buy national name brands or generic or local brands of things like laundry detergent, bleach, cleaners, and so on?
The last time I bought laundry detergent I got a large jug of All at Sam's Club. It has lasted me for about a year and since I need to buy another one this coming payday I was wondering what you use. MY DD said they use Tide genereally because it takes out spots that most detergents don't. I can't spend a lot so I'm trying to decide if I want to go with another national brand or go with a store brand at the local grocery chain. Whichever I do I'll be getting a smaller jug so I can save a little that way though I'll have to buy another jug sooner. I may wait 'till March to buy as I've got enough left to last at least another month. I want the liquid as I've read it's better to use liquid detergent where you have hard water, ours here is very hard.

[RangerRick]

Sweetie does have her preferences on some items but for the majority of drygoods we shop price.

In OKC they have a store that buys large quanity products. Sometimes they'll bring in stuff from trucks that have been in highway wrecks. While products arn't damaged the price are frequently crazy cheap.

Rick

[leera]

I recently switched to making my own powdered laundry detergent.

For the cost of the ingredients,less than $7.00,I have at least a one year supply.

But we don't tend to get our clothes very dirty either.So a little goes a long way for us.

[Faye]

I buy All Free Clear in the concentrate because I don't like having to lift the heavy bottles. I have tried, and still use, Purex Free Clear for my towels and sheets. For spots and stains I use Zout which is great. I also keep a bucket of borax and baking soda mixed equal parts and add 1/2 cup per load of laundry. I used to make the homemade detergent but I have to order the felsnaphta soap, which made it cost more. Mostly I just have laundry for myself and Roy so it doesn't take to much.

[leera]

We don't go through much,as it is just the two of us.

I found the felsnaptha bars at a local store for $1.09,the washing soda for $2.29,but I don't remember how much the borax was.........but it must not have been very expensive if I bought.I'm thinking it was around $3.49.

I had to hunt around a bit to find the felsnaptha bars,but the store had them hidden way down on the bottom shelf,you know where the stuff is that they don't sell much of.

For stains I usually use shout or something similar.

I like to use powdered,as the bottles either start leaking on us,or hubby doesn't measure and uses TOO much,making it a waste to buy the liquids.

[Faye]

The felsnaphtha soap is not sold locally in the south. It must be a northern thing. Now I can't get the washing soda. I have had the store near me try to get it and they can't. I pay a little less than $3 for 20 mule team borax.

[MYellowRose]

Can one of you ladies give me the recipe for the homemade detergent? I'd like to see if I can get the ingredients here and make at least one batch myself to try.

[nancy1340]

The felsnaphtha soap is not sold locally in the south. *It must be a northern thing. *Now I can't get the washing soda. *I have had the store near me try to get it and they can't. *I pay a little less than $3 for 20 mule team borax.


Here's a site that sells fels naphtha soap.

http://www.soapsgonebuy.com/?Click=2

[ryanmercer]

I buy whatever is cheapest :)

[leera]

MYR here's the recipe I used:

1 cup grated felsnaptha
1/2 cup washing soda( Arm and Hammer)
1/2 cup borax(20 Mule Team)

Use 1 TBS per load,or two if clothes are really dirty.

[MarechalNiel]

MYellowRose and Leera, I use the same proportions for the recipe, but instead of Felsnaptha, I use a cheap bar soap called Zote. A large bar is something like .59 cents. I have found Felsnaptha here but only at Kroger. I use it to rub directly onto a bad stain as a pretreatment and it works pretty well. I sometimes buy Shout, but it is an extra cost I avoid if I can.

[leera]

Mare,I looked for Zote,but couldn't find it at any of the stores here,but seemed like all of them have the felsnaptha.

[zebraman]

Hey Guys;Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent Recipe-

3 pints of water
1/3 Fels Naptha Soap,grated
1/2 cup Washing Soda (not Baking Soda)
1/2 cup Borax
3 Gallon Bucket
1 Quart Hot water
Hot Water (to make 2 and 1/2 Gallons.

Mix Fels Naptha soap in a saucepan with 3 pints of water,and heat on low until dissolved.
Stir in Washing Soda and Borax.
Stir until thickened (2-3 minutes)
and remove from heat.
Add 1 Quart hot water to 3 gallon bucket.
Add Soap Mixture, and mix well.
Fill Bucket with Hot water and mix well.
Set aside for 24 hours,or until mixture thickens.

Use 1/2 cup of mixture per load.

Side Note: Fels Naptha Soap lists "Optical Brightners" (Ingredients)which can be seen by both Wildlife and Insects.
You can Substitute Ivory Soap (Bar) with good results.

[Shamrock1121]

Here is a link to a BWH article on the subject:
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/blanchard100.html

I use a combination of things. I too like the ALL small and mighty because it eliminates the hulking large containers. Proves how much filler there is in commercial detergents.

Borax was on sale recently, so I stocked up. That doesn't happen very often.... When I check out I had Borax, Washing Soda, and a couple bars of Fels Naptha and the store bagger asked what they were - they had never seen these products before. ::)

I also use the powdered homemade version:
1 c. grated Fels Naptha Soap
1/2 c. washing soda
1/2 c. 20 Mule Team Borax

I used the liquid version for years, but like the powdered version just as well - and it takes up less space.

Yet one more liquid laundry detergent recipe:

1/3-1/2 c. liquid lavender Castile soap (I use Dr. Bronner's)
1/2 c. washing soda
1/2 c. borax
Mix all ingredients in a 2-gallon bucket. Add hot water to fill the bucket and stir well. This will be a thinner concoction than commercial laundry detergent. Shake up the mixture before you use it because it has a tendency to separate. Use about 1/4-1/3 c. per average laundry load.

(NOTE: I recently read in the newspaper that tea tree oil and lavender oil can affect young boys adversely, so you may want to avoid lavender - Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap comes in other fragrances, or a very mild BABY version with nearly no fragrance.)
--------------------

Here's another recipe that I've used. I like to use this on my sheets. The essential oils I add makes the sheets smell nice.

This makes 1-gallon.

Liquid Natural All-Purpose Detergent

1 c. of Castile Soap (I use Dr. Bronner's)
1/3 c. of salt
1 c. baking soda
1 c. vinegar
40 drops of Grapefruit Seed Extract
Few drops of essential oil (I use patchouli)
To half a gallon of water, add the salt and baking soda which has been melted down over low heat and just enough water to help it dissolve. Add Castile soap and the vinegar.

Fill your gallon jug up the rest of the way, and then add Essential Oils and Grapefruit Seed Extract.
-------------

Homemade Scouring Powder
1 c. baking soda
1 c. borax
1 c. salt
Combine ingredients and keep them in a tightly closed container.
-------------

Multi-Purpose Spray Cleaner
1 t. Borax
1/2 t. washing soda
2 t. vinegar or lemon juice
1/2 t. liquid soap (I use Dr. Bronner's Castile)
2 c. very hot water
Mix ingredients until dissolved. Put in a spray bottle. Shake before each use.
--------------

Automatic Dishwasher Soap - Mix equal parts Borax and Washing Soda.

-Karen

[DavidOH]

I use the cheap liquid on most loads. It disolves in the (hard) water much better than the powder.
Most of the time I use 1/2 to 1/3 of the recommended ammount. The side loader machine just works better.

To pre-treat stains I use Tide with bleach.
NOTHING works better than Tide with bleach.
I buy a "value priced" container; whichever is cheaper.
Since I don't use much it lasts a long time.

[MYellowRose]

The large bucket of All that I had has lasted me about a year, or almost that long. On Thursday evening I bought a small bottle of Sun detergent at Wal-Mart as I wanted to make sure I had enough to last until next month when I can buy a large bottle of a name brand if I can't find the ingredients to make homemade soap.

[JakeLeg]

Walmart brand detergent.

We get this Shout brand gel stuff in a small bottle with a plastic scrub brush built into the cap. it is only used to pretreatcertain of my shirt collars (cuz i got long dirty hair) and the occasional stain.

it pays off because the generic detergent is all that's mostly used, and the pretreat stuff is only used when needed.

[figgfamily]

Every 3 months (sometimes longer) I buy the big jug of store brand laundry detergent which works just fine and is 7 dollars cheaper than the national brands. If I have something badly stained I soak in Oxyclean first.

I spend about 13.00 every 3 months on Oxy which I still had to use with the national brands.

[MYellowRose]

Won't have to worry about affording laundry soap for a while as the washer went kaput yesterday afternoon. Boo Hoo :'(. Had to take the load in it to the nearby laundromat today to wash & dry it. Boy has that gotten expensive, $1.75 for a front loader (top loader wouldn't hold it all), then $1.00 to dry for 30 minutes. I'll have to get two rolls of quarters at the beginning of the month so I have enough to wash at least weekly. Thank heavens there's only me and my bedding to worry about washing for!
I'm asking around to see if I can find someone to check it out and hopefully repair it for me. I think ( keep your fingers crossed XX) that it only needs to have the belt replaced. The motor still runs and it will drain but it doesn't agitate or spin!

[rideaway]

Laundry soap is whatever is on sale, but I admit I'm liking the liquid stuff really well now.

I will only buy Dawn for dish soap...every now and then I get cheap and try another brand, and it just doesn't do the job for me.

Shampoo and soap for the body I pick up at the Dollar Tree.