Stretching the Laundry Detergent

I am a pretty economical shopper when it comes to household goods. I avoid fancy brand-names, fancy chemical cleaners, and fancy household gadgets. If you were to look in my pantry, you’d not see much difference between my goods and that of a 19th century housewife. I do have a vacuum cleaner, but my household cleaning agents are baking soda, vinegar, bleach, and pine cleaner. I don’t use spot removers, “air fresheners” or any of the other fancy (and expensive) items in my grocery store. I like to keep things simple and as natural as possible.

I do have one vice, however: I buy the expensive laundry detergent. Well, it’s not THE most expensive, but it’s the Era brand. I just love the smell (so I am actually SAVING money because I don’t buy expensive fabric softener!). I get the Era in those enormous red jugs– the kind with the efficient spigots that sit in the cabinet so neatly. Love it.

I have noticed, however, that the laundry detergent comes out as slow as molasses in my unheated “laundry room.” (My “laundry room” is just a corner in the kitchen that a previous owner cobbed together with leftover wood and old drywall. I have plans to replace the area with a nice cabinet and new tile flooring). So the liquid detergent takes FOREVER to fill that cup. I got the bright idea of adding a little water to the jug, to make the liquid a little more fluid. It works wonderfully, and flows right out of the spigot, now.

And that got me to thinking. Does adding water to the detergent lessen the effectiveness of the wash? I did a little experiment. I added a half-gallon of water to the jug (I had already used up some of the detergent in the jug, so all I had to do was refill the jug with water). I’ve been washing clothes all week with the diluted detergent, and I have noticed no difference at all. Now, my kids haven’t been rolling in the mud or anything! But if they did, I think that a longer washing load setting would be more effective than additional soap. I think I am saving money by diluting my laundry detergent with water. I don’t know why I haven’t thought of doing so before! I’ve been doing it with shampoo for years (another great money saver).

How about you? Do you dilute your detergent? If so, has it made more of a difference to your laundry or your wallet?