Surviving the Hard Times: Save Money with This Homemade Laundry Detergent Recipe

More effective than Tide for a fraction of the price.

Note from Josh: Runaway inflation is making it hard for the average family to get by, so we’re looking at every possible way to save money while still living well. I originally called this series “Cooking in Hard Times” when we talked about chicken livers, but I’m reframing it as “Surviving the Hard Times” because there’s more to living than food. My wife has discovered an effective and cost-effective way to mix up your own laundry detergent that will save you big money over Tide while still cleaning the dirtiest clothes, like cloth diapers.

---

Tide is expensive, but for big families like ours, it’s a must. Nothing else works as well for cleaning our clothes, which is why Tide is a favorite target of thieves. And Tide is only getting more expensive. I recently had some serious sticker shock when my usual big box of Tide was $5 more expensive than the last time I purchased it.

We use cloth diapers, which are gross, and if they don’t come out perfectly clean they’ll give the baby an infection. So cheaper, less-effective detergents are a nonstarter. I have to be picky.

When a friend of mine shared a recipe for homemade detergent, I was skeptical. But she’s as picky as I am, so I decided to test it out, and I was blown away by the result. Not only is it cheaper than Tide, it works better! And unlike other homemade detergents, it won’t screw up your washing machine. Read on to find out why.