- Wisk Deep Clean (liquid) costs 14 cents a load and scored an 80 on a scale of 100.
- Costco's Kirkland Signature Ultra Clean (powder) costs 9 cents a load and scored a 73.
Both of those “best buys” are much cheaper than Tide Ultra plus Bleach Vivid White + Bright HE (powder), the highest-ranked laundry detergent of all. At 23 cents a load, the Tide offering got an 82 yet failed to clinch the magazine’s seal of approval.
Target’s Up & Up HE (liquid) — a previous “best buy” winner — raised the price per load in the latest tally from 11 cents to 13 cents, but only scored a 67 this time out.
When it comes to laundry detergent for standard top-loaders, the only one to get the “best buy” checkmark was Tide Plus Bleach Alternative Vivid White + Bright. At 18 cents a load, it scored a lowly 61 — still the best score in its class.
Not really into commercial laundry detergents? Try making your own at home to save even more money. We’ve got a great homemade laundry detergent recipe to share with you. It takes about 20 minutes to make and works out to cost only 6 cents a load.
Ingredients (full prices are listed):
1 bar soap = $3.49
1 box Washing Soda (55oz) $3.19 – Cost Per Cup = 46 cents
1 box Borax (76oz) $4.49 – Cost Per Cup = 47 cents
Optional Essential Oil: Tea Tree Oil (1oz) $8.99 – Cost for 40 Drops = 72 cents
Total Cost for 5 Gallons or 80+ loads of laundry Detergent = $5.17
Total Cost Per Load: Approximately 6 cents
Now, just imagine if you got these items on sale, how much this would cost you! You could be saving a ton of money by making your own laundry detergent at home. Genius. right?
Directions:
1. Using a cheese grater, shred your bar of soap.
2. Bring a medium-sized pot of water to a boil on the stove and reduce the heat.
3. Slowly pour in the grated soap and stir until melted.
4. Slowly add in 1 cup of washing soda, but be careful. This is the part where a chemical reaction takes place and it could boil over. Place a wooden spoon across the top of your pot to prevent it from boiling over.
5. Add in 1 cup of borax, and stir until everything is dissolved.
6. Pour contents into a five gallon bucket, and fill the remainder of the bucket water.
7. Add in your optional essential oil (ie. tea tree oil or lavender), and stir.
8. Cover with a lid, and let sit overnight.
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