My sister-in-law makes homemade laundry detergent too. Her recipe has around seven ingredients, and she loves hers. But the money savings dwindles using that method. If I'm making homemade detergent, I expect a return on my time by having clean clothes and more money in my pocket.
About three months of using the three-ingredient recipe, I noticed my whites were dingy. No biggie. I added bleach to them. They still looked bad.
Soon I noticed strange gray splotches on our T-shirts and light colored clothes. Not little spots, mind you--huge random gray areas. I tried adding OxiClean to each load. New discolorations still appeared.
After nine months of using the three-ingredient homemade laundry detergent, I've decided to switch back to store bought, liquid detergent. Too many of our clothes acquired odd markings after months of using homemade. Unfortunately, those items need to be replaced. Maybe our water reacts with the detergent. Maybe my HE washer just can't handle powder detergent. I don't know, but I'm willing to spend more money if it assures our clothes won't end up discolored and ruined.
I don't regret trying a different laundry method. Am I disappointed the money saved didn't yield the results I wanted? Sure. But in the end, I'd rather at least try a new way to save money than assume it's too hard or won't work.
Have you tried a frugal tip only to be disappointed?
Have a lovely Wednesday!
