Thursday, April 19, 2012

Fake Tide Coldwater HE

Today's Great Fake is a Guest Post Submission by one of Fake-It Frugal's wonderful readers, Teresa Braun from Alberta, Canada!  She writes, "I have an oldie but a goodie. I have made my own High Efficiency Tide for a couple of years now. This recipe costs next to nothing to make and it is better than Tide!"
Credit - Soap.com
Ingredients:
2 bars of sunlight laundry soap ($2.19)
1 1/2 cups of Borax (aprox. $6/box but makes 6 tubs)
1 1/2 cups Arm and Hammer Washing Soda (aprox. $6/box but makes 8 tubs)
Ice cream pail with lid

 
*Optional 1/2 cup of Oxy clean no name brand laundry booster NOT necessary, but my hubby works in the oil patch and well....sometimes it just makes me feel better to add it in =)

 
Grate both sunlight bars right into a old ice cream pail WITH lid!
Add your Borax
Add your Arm and Hammer
Stir it up and done!
 
ONLY PUT IN 2 TABLESPOONS OF DETERGENT!!  
That is ALL it needs, if you have a front load add the soap first.

Make sure that you seal the lid while storing your soap as it will dry out. I put the recipe right on my ice cream pail that way anyone can make more without the excuse of not knowing how!


I use the cold cycle for my washing machine which saves me further. This recipe works better than Tide then you just add your homemade dryer sheets  and, "Presto!" - Clean laundry at a fraction of the cost. I run a minimum of 13 loads a week! One batch lasts well over a month!

The Fake-It Yourself Breakdown:  

Fake Tide Coldwater HE ($3.12/pail)

Total Fake-It Cost:  $0.06/load

Compare to Actual Tide Coldwater ($15.95 for 63 load box, $0.25/load)

Total Fake-It Savings:  $7.17 or $0.19 per load!


Thanks again to Teresa for sharing her awesome recipe for saving money!  If you have a Great Fake and you'd like to be featured on Fake-It Frugal, please check out how!


38 comments:

  1. Where did you get the grater? Never seen one like that.

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    Replies
    1. That grater is an attachment that goes on a Kitchen-Aid Stand Mixer.

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  2. I love all your Fake Great recipes... they are fantastic..just made me some cookie mixes..how easy and no extra mess in the kitchen!! Love your blog!! I say that a lot don't I... but I mean it!!

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  3. Can you use this in regular machines as well and if so is the 2 TBSP measurement still the same?

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    Replies
    1. Hi Sharon - Yes it can be used in both HE and regular machines - the measurement is the same. Cheers!

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  4. Also do you think that I could get just a cheap container that is air tight because I would really hate to use the excuse that I most buy & EAT the ice cream to get that container. :)

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    Replies
    1. Ha! That's a good point! Yes, any gallon size airtight container will work. :)

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  5. Where did you find the Sunlight soap. I've only seen Fels Nappa in the grocery stores. Does that work as well?

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    Replies
    1. I think that Sunlight, Fels Naptha & Zote are basically the same. You can also use Ivory if you can't find any of the above. Cheers!

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    2. That's good to know because I can't find Sunlight anywhere. :) I found the others at Walmart. Thanks!

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    3. I saw another recipe similar to this recently, and the only real difference was that they used Fels Naptha instead. This sounds like a great idea, and I plan on doing it soon!

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  6. Thanks for sharing-I can't wait to try it. I am also curious as to where you bought your grater. I have never seen one like it.

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    Replies
    1. As this was a guest post, I don't know where she got the grater, but it kinda looks like a grater attachment for a Kitchen Aid Mixer. :) Cheers~!

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  7. I heard that borax washes color out of clothes. Is this really true? Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. I looked into it - it depends on the fabric. So, just like with any "special care" fabric, be careful!

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  8. I own a front loader - so- out of curiosity do you add the soap directly to the washing bin or in the soap recepticle?

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  9. Just wanted to let you know I follow you on my blog. You do a wonderful service for all your readers, thanks!

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  10. Hi there,

    Have you had any problems with colored clothes fading? We make a similar recipe but have only used it on our lights and whites because we read a post about color fading being an issue like for jeans, etc.

    Thanks,

    Pattie

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  11. Found your link from Tip me Tuesdays. Thanks for the recipe and linking up.

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  12. So, if it dries out does it not even work any longer? My husband has asked me to only use liquid detergent because we live in such a humid area, the powdered detergent clumped up too much and too hard. I'd want to keep a lid on this, anyway (two small kids, everything can get spilled!) but I wouldn't really have a problem, I think, if it didn't stay too wet.

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  13. I use oxyclean with my homemade laundry detergent. It keeps my colors from fading. I make the liquid detergent so I just put the oxyclean in the detergent spot then pour in the liquid. I absolutely love it.

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  14. Do you put this in the detergent dispenser or just put in in your tub when you put clothes in? Can I use this on hot with lights? I have an HE machine as well. Thanks! Tina

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  15. Hi Heather!

    Just wanted to let you know I tried this recipe finally and absolutely love it! I was always skeptical about homemade detergents before, but now I will never go back. My family's clothes come out cleaner and I like that I know exactly what is in my detergent :)

    BIG BIG money saver, also! Thanks so much for sharing :)

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  16. Wow! Only 2 Tablespoons!!! I've been making my own laundry soap for years (I make goat milk lye soap and grate some of it for the laundry soap) and I use 1/4 cup of this in my laundry, per the recipe I found.

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  17. I am SOOOOOOOOO HAPPY I found your blog I can just scream right now! After living for almost a decade in the US I came back to my country where I have NOTHING that used to make life so easier there.
    WOW now I will have "fake" Windex and Febreze and Tide and so many other things.... LOL...... Not to mention the food that I haven't even looked at the posts.
    I am going to buy supplies tomorrow and empty bottles and I will be a very happy person now!
    Thank youuuuuu!

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  18. If you have an HE machine do you add it to the washing bin or the dispenser?

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    Replies
    1. I think she replied to someone else to put it in the washing bin. I have been using this same detergent only with Fels Naptha and I've put it directly in the powdered soap dispenser. I have Samsung frontloaders and have not had any problems.

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  19. Quick question, mine is not mixing very well wonder if I grated the soap too big??? HELP!

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    Replies
    1. Where did you find your sunlight bar or does anyone know where the sunlight bars can be found?

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  20. I made this the other day, using Fels Naptha instead, and it works wonders. I did about 5 loads. It cleans way better then the liquid whisk and gain i was using. I also added about a cup of Purex crystals in it as well. Thanks so much for the recipe. I love all the fake its!!

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  21. I made this the other day, using Fels Naptha instead, and it works wonders. I did about 5 loads. It cleans way better then the liquid whisk and gain i was using. I also added about a cup of Purex crystals in it as well. Thanks so much for the recipe. I love all the fake its!!

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  22. I've made this and it works wonderfully but I also add the Purex Crystals or the Downey Unstoppables for extra scent. I have had no problems with my clothes fading either!

    I'm a new follower!

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  23. I would love to know where you find Sunlight soap. I've looked everywhere, including on the internet, and just can't find it. I can get other brands, but I want the scent of Sunlight. Any ideas of where I can get it?

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  24. Just a question. I just made this and used 1/2 bar of Zote with the other portions being the same. Should I add the other half of Zote? I wasn't quite sure because the Zote was 400g and the Sunlight was 250g.

    Anyways, we're trying it. By son is in baseball so this will be a true test. :)

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  25. https://fakeitfrugal.blogspot.com/2012/10/fake-clean-shower.html?showComment=1625465829269#c2865970815813436530

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