Josiah and Lauren 16: Just Another Young Fundie Couple

[apandaaries]

Tide is some really interesting currency in some places: http://nymag.com/news/features/tide-detergent-drugs-2013-1/

[Daisy0322]

I started making our own laundry detergent when we were really broke but I ended up liking it a lot better and it’s really easy to make! I do add sent boosters sometimes though just because I like the smell. 

[moreorlessnu]

What did you like better about the homemade detergent?

[neuroticcat]

2 hours ago, Daisy0322 said:

I started making our own laundry detergent when we were really broke but I ended up liking it a lot better and it’s really easy to make! I do add sent boosters sometimes though just because I like the smell. 

Would you consider posting your recipe? Is it good for sensitive skin?

[Daisy0322]

1 hour ago, neuroticcat said:

Would you consider posting your recipe? Is it good for sensitive skin?

1 box of washing soda (I use arm and hammer)

1 box of borax

1 bar of fels-naptha grated 

then you can add a sent booster to the mix, add essential oil to the washer (I’ve not tried that) or you can just leave it with the three ingredients.
 

My oldest and my husband both have sensitive skin and they do really well with it also I use it on our newborns clothes and he’s been fine too  

[scoutsadie]

4 hours ago, Daisy0322 said:

1 box of washing soda (I use arm and hammer)

1 box of borax

1 bar of fels-naptha grated 

I have never heard of, or come across, this... I'm guessing it's different than baking soda (hence the different term) - ? And where do you get it?

[Bobology]

All the items are on the laundry aisle, often the bottom shelf. Different recipes have a bit different ratios; you can make liquid or dry. I wash a lot in cool water so when I use the dry (powder) detergent I start the cycle with hot, pour in the small amount of powder and immediately stir with a long plastic spoon. I then turn the water to cold or cool and then add my laundry. If I don't make sure the powder is dissolved first I end up with undissolved speckles on some of my clothing

[QuiverFullofBooks]

11 minutes ago, scoutsadie said:

I have never heard of, or come across, this... I'm guessing it's different than baking soda (hence the different term) - ? And where do you get it?

I was going to take a photo, but I’m out of it. It looks like a larger box of the Arm & Hammer baking soda, and it’s in the laundry aisle (as are the Fels-Naptha soap bar and the Borax).

Someone asked upthread why we like making our own detergent. It’s cheap, it’s gentle enough for delicates, and no more carrying heavy detergent home from the store.

I use the Duggars’ recipe, which has much less Borax and washing soda than @Daisy0322 uses. Here it is (I revised the instructions):

1 Fels-Naptha soap bar

1 cup washing soda

1/2 cup Borax

Grate the soap very finely - I use a microplane grater - into a large saucepan. Pour boiling water over it, turn the stove on at a medium-low heat, and whisk until the soap is dissolved. Combine the washing soda and Borax in a five-gallon bucket. Pour in some boiling water and whisk to dissolve the powder. Add the melted soap and stir. Add hot water and stir until the bucket is full. Cover the bucket and let set overnight.

Fill old detergent containers with equal amounts of the concentrated detergent and hot water. Shake before using.

[Flossie]

10 hours ago, Bobology said:

...I wonder if the Duggars still make their own. Early on, when the 4 oldest girls were about the ages of the current Lost Girls one of their episodes featured them making detergent.

That was just an episode plot.  The fancy washers the Duggars use today won't work well with many detergents.  There have been pictures in the past of liquid  laundry sitting on or nearby the washers.  (Check out this clip.  The bottles of detergent are blurred, but at the 1:45 mark the bottles are clearly seen).  It's like when the Duggars claimed to make their own bread.  After the episode where they talked about bread making, you never saw that again, but there are many times when a store-bought loaf of bread is seen on the counters.

Look, the Duggars lie, and they lie all the time.  They're incapable of telling the truth.  Assume they're lying, and you'll be right 99% of the time.

[Daisy0322]

1 hour ago, scoutsadie said:

I have never heard of, or come across, this... I'm guessing it's different than baking soda (hence the different term) - ? And where do you get it?

You can find it in the laundry aisle. I get it at Walmart- target doesn’t carry it where I live. And I forgot to say I use about half a cup per load with a energy conserving washer and I’ve used all different laundry settings. I also leave mine in a powder form. 
 

here’s a random pic I found but these are the exact boxes I use

Edited January 5, 2020 by Daisy0322

[indianabones]

Here's a clip of them making their own laundry detergent, back in 2008.

You can see it at the 6 minute mark.

[just_ordinary]

So- how many washes do you get out of it and what is the price? Because I can run a lot of machines with my store bought laundry powder and it’s less then 0,22€ per wash (0,22€ per wash is what the package says but I get definitely more than 18 washes out of it). 0,22€ are about 0,25$. That would be $1,75 if I’d run my machine every day in the week. Would you consider this expensive? I never did the math on it and do wonder now.

Granted I only use washing powder and no extra stuff (apart from adding hygiene liquid in some rates cases).

[Bobology]

7 hours ago, just_ordinary said:

Would you consider this expensive? I never did the math on it and do wonder now.

25 cents/load is about what I'd be paying here (central USA) if I were using Tide powder and I do not consider that to be expensive. My calculations from a few years ago were less than 5 cents/load (maybe 2-3 cents) with the homemade. If I'm correct, this amounts to at least $20 savings per year, which is not much. I wash about 2 loads/week for just me. At the time I was combining that savings with other cost-cutting measures. But boy, for only $20/year I think I just may go back to store-bought detergent. The $20/year savings quickly multiplies with each additional family member, though, and at the time I still had one adult child living with me.

The detergent (I make powder now rather than liquid) isn't difficult to make but I do not enjoy making it. I have $20, so when my current ingredients are used up I'll likely be going back to store-bought. I'm glad I had this little conversation with myself... 

[SassyPants]

When I had top loaders and agitating machines, I made my own, but the newer machine are so finicky, after multiple prompts  of too many suds and machine shut downs, I just started buying the HE stuff. 

[Daisy0322]

2 hours ago, Bobology said:

The $20/year savings quickly multiplies with each additional family member...

Very true! With the 4 of us and my husband being in construction we about 5-8 loads a week depending on if I’m doing towels and bedding that week or the blankets in the family room/ living rooms. 
 

However- I estimate my savings higher. It takes me about 25$ to make a batch of detergent and that lasts about 8-10 weeks and opposed to tide pods that last 2-3 weeks cost me about 15$.

i also make my own glass cleaner and everyday Multi purpose cleaning spray because I like the smell better and I try to avoid extra chemicals. I love Castile Soap too. 

[Peaches1981]

1 minute ago, Daisy0322 said:

i also make my own glass cleaner and everyday Multi purpose cleaning spray because I like the smell better and I try to avoid extra chemicals. I love Castile Soap too. 

May I ask what your “recipe” is for glass cleaner is? I just bought a “natural” glass cleaner and it leaves horrible streaks! What a disappointment ?

[Idlewild]

38 minutes ago, Peaches1981 said:

May I ask what your “recipe” is for glass cleaner is? I just bought a “natural” glass cleaner and it leaves horrible streaks! What a disappointment ?

I’d be interested too please. I currently use white vinegar and a soft cloth which does the job but smells!

[neuroticcat]

I do glass with equal parts white vinegar and water. I don’t mind the smell though. You could try adding a drop or two natural scent?

[ModestisHottest]

On 1/3/2020 at 2:53 PM, WarriorJane said:

2 pics I saw showed Lauren holding a sleeping Bella.  It makes sense she would be sitting on the couch alone.   There was one with her and Josiah where she's smiling.  Granted, it's posed, not candid, but still she doesn't look miserable.   And the one where she looks "miserable" may have just been taken mid-blink.  Or her eyes are half closed because she's a mother of a newborn at Christmas and probably exhausted.

I'm not a fan of the hat personally, but I don't think she's overdressed.   I think the Duggars just look like they look everyday which is kind of surprising because you would think they would dress up for Jesus's birthday.  Did they not go to church?  I think it's ironic that we criticize the duggars' frumpiness but then give them (especially the in laws) shit if they dare to vary from the usual denim skirts or cargo shorts paired with tshirts from universities they'll never attend.  We sometimes see what we want to see.   Jinger liked clothes so she had a "spark" and will one day "break free".   Now it's Jinger is image obsessed and trying too hard.  Jeremy is wearing a hat--that smug bastard!  Lauren is wearing high heels in the nursery--she's so haughty!  Poor Abbie is in long denim skirts--she is wasting her life and will never be a nurse again!

As long as I'm ranting,  I'll throw this bit of BEC into the mix, directed not just Lauren, but all the Duggars and the whole world -- If it's cold enough out for you to wear a jacket,  YOUR BABY ALSO NEEDS A JACKET!!!!  And SOCKS!

/rant over.

I would if maybe the baby just got taken out of the car seat?  It's really dangerous for a baby to have a coat on in a car seat so I know we  just pop a blanket over our son while he's in the seat.  I've definitely gotten a lot of funny looks from people when we'd bring him inside who didn't know about the car seat thing.  That being said, the Duggars are idiots so they're probably just not thinking about it. 

[Daisy0322]

3 hours ago, Peaches1981 said:

May I ask what your “recipe” is for glass cleaner is? I just bought a “natural” glass cleaner and it leaves horrible streaks! What a disappointment ?

 

2 hours ago, Idlewild said:

I’d be interested too please. I currently use white vinegar and a soft cloth which does the job but smells!

4 cups hot water but not boiling

1/2 cup rubbing alcohol

1/2 cup white vinegar 

1 tablespoon corn starch

a few drops of essential oils of a sent I like

mix well, let cool, put in spray bottle. It will settle over time and need shaken. You have to rub a little harder with this because of the corn starch or you can leave it out but the corn starch makes the window look extra smooth and gives it a nice shine. I recommend using a cloth instead of paper towels. Or coffee filters actually work super well on windows. 

 

 

Edited January 5, 2020 by Daisy0322

[Kelsey]

We use Dropps laundry pods. They are my absolute favorite. We used Charlie's Soap for a long time but stopped when we got an he washer.

I'm skeptical about the homemade stuff because I've seen videos on YouTube of people washing their "clean" clothes and the water was black. That being said, I've never tried it on my clothes.

[Daisy0322]

18 minutes ago, Kelsey said:

I'm skeptical about the homemade stuff because I've seen videos on YouTube of people washing their "clean" clothes and the water was black. That being said, I've never tried it on my clothes.

I dont know about all that but I will say while on maternity leave I’ve been using tide pods because honestly I’m tired and battling postpartum depression again... I’ve not had any issues like that personally but I am enjoying the laundry smell from the commercial products  

[TheOneAndOnly]

Ever try cleaning glass things with just water? Wipe it with a damp cloth, then buff it with a dry cloth. Works wonderfully (unless there's greasy dirt) and no chemicals.

[QuiverFullofBooks]

14 hours ago, just_ordinary said:

So- how many washes do you get out of it and what is the price? Because I can run a lot of machines with my store bought laundry powder and it’s less then 0,22€ per wash (0,22€ per wash is what the package says but I get definitely more than 18 washes out of it). 0,22€ are about 0,25$. That would be $1,75 if I’d run my machine every day in the week. Would you consider this expensive? I never did the math on it and do wonder now.

Granted I only use washing powder and no extra stuff (apart from adding hygiene liquid in some rates cases).

We’re a two-person household, and I only need to make the concentrate every few months. Only the soap has to be purchased each time; the boxes of washing soda and borax last for years. I haven’t done the math, but it’s insanely cheap. 

[moreorlessnu]

10 hours ago, Bobology said:

25 cents/load is about what I'd be paying here (central USA) if I were using Tide powder and I do not consider that to be expensive. My calculations from a few years ago were less than 5 cents/load (maybe 2-3 cents) with the homemade. If I'm correct, this amounts to at least $20 savings per year, which is not much. I wash about 2 loads/week for just me. At the time I was combining that savings with other cost-cutting measures. But boy, for only $20/year I think I just may go back to store-bought detergent. The $20/year savings quickly multiplies with each additional family member, though, and at the time I still had one adult child living with me.

The detergent (I make powder now rather than liquid) isn't difficult to make but I do not enjoy making it. I have $20, so when my current ingredients are used up I'll likely be going back to store-bought. I'm glad I had this little conversation with myself... 

Really off topic, but if you watch the sales at Walgreens and especially at CVS, you can get name brand detergent like Gain, Tide, and All extremely inexpensively. Google "Savvy Coupon Shopper" and watch her videos. Each week, she shows how to get the best deals at CVS and Walgreens. Often CVS will provide you with the necessary manufacturer coupons in the CVS app.