Mr. Clean

Welcome to this week’s Reno News & Review.

I’m not cheap, but as you all know, times are tough. I do certain things, like hang my laundry outside to dry, that cuts pennies from my expenditures.

In March, I posted on Facebook my complaints about Arm & Hammer Free Laundry Detergent. Basically, I posted two pictures of boxes of the detergent. Same weight, same promise of 15 percent more. One claimed 46 loads, the other 54 loads. The marketing irritated me. There was no way, since the ingredients were the same, that both claims could be true.

Someone—Jackie Shelton or Kelly Anderson Wright—suggested I try making my own. It costs a fraction of premade detergent and doesn’t contain additives or perfumes that irritate my oh-so-sensitive skin.

Anyway, I finally got around to making some, and I’m quite happy with the results. I bought all the stuff I needed at Scolari’s.

Here’s the recipe:

1 bar finely grated Ivory bar of soap

1 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda

1 cup 20 Mule Team Borax

Mix well and store in an airtight plastic container.

Use 2 tablespoons per full load.

Wright suggested I use white vinegar for obvious stains. I haven’t tried this, yet, but I will. (OK, you’ll think this is weird, but I use oxy carpet stain remover to remove stains from clothing.)

Anyway, the results so far have been great. Everything is at least as clean as it would be with store-bought. At some point, I’ll pass along whether the soap residue bothers my skin, but I don’t see any reason it should, since the washing soda and borax are components in most clothes detergents, and I use Ivory soap to wash.

Maybe it’s greener than regular detergent. You’ll have to ask Kat Kerlin about that. But I know for a fact it’s far cheaper. I guess the takeaway message of this is if the corporation hadn’t lied to me, they’d still be making their large profits from selling me the premade stuff.