Once in a while I try to see how I can save a bit of money and one way I found is to research and try to make some of my own products instead of buying them all prepared and paying much more money than the actual components.

Last month, I researched how to make my own laundry detergent and quickly I found the post of Trent from The Simple Dollar where he goes in details on how to proceed.

I bought all the ingredients : the soap, borax powder and the washing soda were all quite easy to find. I then followed the process and waited overnight like explained to see how the final product would thicken…  The mixture did thicken but not a lot at all. I tried to mix well but it was like oil and water… no way to have it blend well. Anyway, my wife and I are using this for now. It does seem to clean well enough… so that’s good.

I want to try again soon to make some more and see if I can make it more thick like described in this more recent and more visual post from Trent.

There are a lot of comments on the 2 links above… basically discussing to know if making its own detergent is worth the money or not… my wife is a little skeptical about it. Is it worth it ? In the second post from Trent, you can find some answers.

I am glad I got to try it, I agree with Trent, it’s a fun experience.