I've found that one of the greatest ways of making homemaking work with only one income in a two income world is to develop the knowledge and skill of making food or household items myself. Recently, when the handsoap in our home ran out I searched for an alternative to having to purchase it from the store. The less items I'm dependent on the store for managing our home, the better. When I did a cost comparison between the store refill bottle and the homemade version, the difference was laughable. See for yourself:
Store
56oz refill bottle (large store brand soap, nothing special) = $3.88, which is $0.069/oz
Homemade
1 gallon (128oz) = $1.18, which is $0.0092/oz!
The supplies necessary to make homemade handsoap are simple and with some smart purchasing they're really inexpensive. I purchased the glycerin in an 8oz bottle from a local craft store and used an online 40% off coupon. So, it's cost was only $2.08, which is $0.26/oz. The soap was $3.72 for eight bars, which is $0.46/bar. With a total unit cost so low I could even go for the fancier soaps if I wished and still have a better value than purchasing it pre-made! I already had the fragrance, but if I hadn't I would've also used another 40% off coupon or waiting until it went on sale. Buying in larger quantities or using coupons/sales is a smart way to trim cost for homemade or DIY projects.
The recipe isn't my own, but was found at The Farmer's Nest. Consequently, I'll offer the steps to the process but refer you to the original site for specific quantities. The original recipe doesn't include a fragrance and I didn't use any in my batch since my soap was scented. However, if you wanted to use an unscented soap and add your own fragrance, then I'd recommend adding it drop-wise and determining incrementally the amount you'd prefer.
1. Supplies: Large stock pot, empty gallon jug or other container, glycerin, bar soap (x2), essential oil fragrance (optional) and dispensers.
2. Grate soap bars.
3. Melt soap bits in a gallon of water on the stove. Add glycerin.
4. Allow to sit until cooled (approx. 10-12 hours). It will be thick when complete, and so use a mixer or whisk to combine until a smooth consistency.
5. Pour into container.
6. Finished! A gallon of handsoap for less than a penny!
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Thank you so much for sharing! This is so easy! It will use up all the those bars that are sitting around in the bathroom cupboard. Have a wonderful day!
ReplyDeleteI'm confused. It says a gallong of hand soap for less than a penny, but you also said to use two bars of soap, glycerin, etc.
ReplyDelete??
Sorry, that's less than a penny unit price. I calculate best value for purchases or products based on unit value. If you multiplied the price per ounce by the amount in a gallon it would come to approximately $1.18 per gallon. I see what you're saying, though, and the initial investment of the soap and glycerin was $5.80 for me. The supplies will last for many many uses. Thanks for bringing that confusing bit to my attention. I hope that helps clarify things! :)
Deletegreat idea on the hand soap but you have a typo in the cost of the store brand. if the other numbers are right it should be $0.067 per ounce. so basically 7 cents per ounce for the store bought vs 1 cent for home made? thanks for the information. =)
Delete#1PaperClips: Oh my! Yep, that was indeed a typo. Thank you so much for pointing it out to me! I've now updated the post to where it will show the zero that got away. haha :)
DeleteWhen do you add the glycerin?
ReplyDeleteOh, and how much glycerin do we use?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteRevision regarding ingredient measurements:
DeleteFor additional information, the original source for the recipe is at The Farmer's Nest (http://www.thefarmersnest.com/2011/11/liquid-hand-soap-diy.html).
:)
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ReplyDeleteHi, did you find your's was a similar texture to the store bought? I've made some in the past but it was very gluggy...it kept dribbling out the dispenser and the kids didn't like it at all.
ReplyDeleteYes, it is a different consistency than the store bought. I personally don't pay much mind to it since we're still getting the main benefits of hand-washing being the soap, warm water and lathering. I'm sure there are lots of different recipes available through an internet search or you could try to play with it to come up with your own recipe to achieve a more desirable consistency for your family.:)
DeleteJust an idea, if you want to make the "foamy" soap, add 1/3 liquid soap and 2/3 water and pour into a foaming dispenser and you have just made your homemade soap go even further. The only thing is, you need the foaming dispensers, I bought 3 on sale very reasonably over 2 yrs ago and I'm still using them! Now, I'm going to add making my own liquid soap and spend even less!! Thanks!
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