{"id":7781,"date":"2019-06-21T23:26:54","date_gmt":"2019-06-22T03:26:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thefatdollar.com\/fatdollarblog\/?p=7781"},"modified":"2019-06-21T23:26:54","modified_gmt":"2019-06-22T03:26:54","slug":"vinegar-and-baking-soda-not-exactly-frugal-for-the-laundry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/thefatdollar.com\/fatdollarblog\/vinegar-and-baking-soda-not-exactly-frugal-for-the-laundry\/","title":{"rendered":"Vinegar and Baking Soda – Not Exactly Frugal for the Laundry"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n
\n

Sooner or later it has to be dealt with:  the laundry.  The typical American household does almost 400 loads of laundry a year*, or an average of 7- 8 loads of laundry a week.  Saving just a small amount of money on each load of laundry can add up to substantial savings over the years.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Laundry
Strong wind blows the clothes hung on the clothesline — Image by \u00a9 Royalty-Free\/Corbis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In my house, we do only half the average amount of  laundry \u2013 usually 3-4 loads a week.   I often substitute vinegar or baking soda for fabric softener.  I have usually been pleased with myself for being so frugal and saving a bit of money on each load.<\/p>\n

One day while I was in the laundry room and thinking about the actual cost of vinegar and baking soda, a vague uneasiness began to settle in.  How could it be cheaper?  It began to bother me.  Did it really save money to use vinegar or baking soda instead of fabric softener?<\/p>\n

I decided to find out.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve posted the calculations and pricing details in an article on The Fat Dollar site  \u2013 Making Homemade Fabric Softener with Baking Soda or Vinegar \u2013 Does it Really Save Money? <\/a>. I\u2019ll just give the results here.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not what I wanted it to be, but more or less what that uneasy feeling told me to expect.<\/p>\n

The results of the math showing the cost per rinse load:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fabric Softener \u2013 Cost is $.04 *  to $.08** per load<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vinegar \u2013 Cost is $.06 (using 1\/2 cup) to $.11 (using 1 cup) per load<\/strong><\/p>\n

Baking Soda \u2013 Cost is $.12*  to $.24**  per load<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fabric Softener
\n*Sam\u2019s Club Members Mark Brand
\n**Final Touch Ultra<\/p>\n

Baking Soda
\n*Sam\u2019s Club
\n**Walgreens<\/p>\n

Vinegar could be possibly less expensive than fabric softener, assuming that you use only 1\/2 cup and compare it against the most expensive brand of fabric softener (Final Touch Ultra in my case).  Even then, the savings are only $.02 per rinse load.<\/p>\n

Using baking soda instead of fabric softener is a downright luxury if you use costs as an indicator.  The baking soda is 3 to 6 times more costly than fabric softener.  Who would have thought that it is splurging when you dump a half cup of baking soda in the rinse cycle?<\/p>\n

Even with little or no monetary savings in the short term, there still are some very valid reasons to skip the fabric softener and use vinegar (or baking soda, if you really want to be a big spender).<\/p>\n