I tend to have more more frugal tendancies than my husband does.
I don’t say this to brag, but just to point out that opposites do tend to attract, and that in most relationships, both people will never be 100% on the same frugality page all the time.
And let me tell you, our time came the first time I wanted to make homemade laundry detergent.
And why wouldn’t I?
Homemade laundry detergent is not only waaay less expensive to make, it is a time-saver, has less chemicals in it, and can be tweaked for those with sensitive skin issues.
In case you missed the last post about the most amazing, easy, homemade laundry deterengent, here’s my recipe:
Laundry Detergent:
1 box borax
1 box Washing Soda
2 boxes baking soda
2 bars grated Zote or Ivory Soap
1 tub OxyClean
Literally, you guys, I went out and bought a $2.00 plastic 5-gallon bucket and lid from Home Depot and mixed it all up.
But my husband has this crazy obsession with his clothes “smelling” cleaning. Not just looking clean, but smelling Downy Unstoppables clean.
Never mind the fact that it’s a completely fake scent. We talked, discussed, even argued about how he couldn’t smell the scent of his clothes.
I could husband-bash, but beyond his Downy Unstoppables obsession, he’s really a pretty great guy!
As with everything, be it financial, relational, or even having to do with the family chore chart, when more than 1 person is involved, there will be disagreements.
And the key to making a relationship work is picking your battles.
So, from now on, my Laundry Detergent recipes looks something like this:
Laundry Detergent:
1 box borax
1 box Washing Soda
2 boxes baking soda
2 bars grated Zote or Ivory Soap
1 tub OxyClean
2 Small Containers Downy Unstoppables
And from this, I’m taking away an awesome Personal Finance lesson:
Not all battles are worth fighting – especially when it’s a small thing that makes your husband happy!
What do you compromise on with your spouse? Tell me in the comments!
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LOL.
It took a while for me to wean my husband off his Snuggle dryer sheets, and convince him that dryer balls are cheaper and healthier!
Well my husband is the same way. To the point where he prefers to do the laundry because it has to have this certain smell. I’m understanding what you are saying and going through the same thing. You have to compromise and we have both learned to compromise during our debt freedom journey. He also likes having cable and once we were able to afford it we compromise and got it back. He got the bill knock down $15 a few weeks ago in order to keep it under the budget so I’m happy with that. :)
I live in Japan so it’s so hard to find these ingredients without dragging a Japanese local out to hit the streets. I am taking notes for when I leave I will be mixing my own little homemade laundry detergent and save some money. Thanks for the recipe.
I do most of the laundry in my house, but my wife insists on having the clothes dried on “no heat” so they don’t shrink (we don’t have the space to hang dry laundry). Now, this might sound frugal as it would use less energy than a heated cycle, but she also likes her clothes to be very dry, so they often have to be run through the dryer twice. Still, it’s less expensive than buying her new clothes because she thinks they have shrunk! I suppose we all have our own special ways of doing things, and a little compromise never hurts.
My husband doesn’t mind the homemade soap though I do think he thinks it’s a little obsessive. ;) I have recently started using Unstoppables for a slew of homemade items. Now, if only I could find a way to make that from scratch!
Hey there, I’m going to try this recipe, thanks for sharing! Have you tried the dousing an old washcloth in essential oils trick? If you put some lavender essential oil on an old wash cloth and toss it in the dryer, you get a nice soft scent without all that weird plasticy stuff.
I have a question. What is stopping you from say adding a natural scent, or using a reusable dryer sheet (see the following link) with scent? http://viewfromthefridge.com/homemade-dryer-sheets/
Just curious if you or any of your readers had successfully added scent to the soap recipe, and if so, why not?
Thanks for the recipe!
My husband is exactly the opposite. He insists to use only homemade detergent. I am cleaning only with natural ingredients. The bleach is forbidden at my home. Thank you for sharing your recipe. I am going to try it. Best regards!
How much do you use per load? With the one I currently make, I use 1 TBSP. Is that sufficient with this? Thank you