laundry detergent

The 5 Best Laundry Stain Removers

Andrea Cannon — Wed, 30 Dec 2015 10:00:03 +0000

Let’s face it. Spills will happen from time to time, no matter how careful you are. Fortunately, laundry stain removers are available to clean up new and set in stains. Even blood, grass, wine, makeup, chocolate, oil, grease, and dirt stains can’t stand up to some of the best stain removers on the market.

What Is Laundry Stain Remover?

Laundry stain removers are designed to remove stains from your laundry. They are usually available in powder, spray, or gel form. Usually, you apply the stain remover to the spot, let it set for a few minutes, and then wash the item normally. The sooner you are able to treat the stain, the greater chance you’ll have of clearing up the stain for good. If you don’t get the results you’re looking for after using the stain remover, try a second application. Usually, a second application will remove any ghosts of a past stain.

Top 5 Laundry Stain Removers

Resolve Laundry Stain Remover

Resolve Laundry Stain Remover is Consumer Reports’ top choice for laundry stain removers, a Consumer Reports Best Buy, and one of Amazon’s best sellers because it really can remove almost any stain. It can eliminate even the toughest dried in stains in as little as 30 seconds. In fact, Resolve even guarantees that it will remove all stains with the first application. It works in all water temperatures and is safe for all colors. You can also use the highly rated Resolve Laundry Stain Remover Pre Treat Stain Stick, if you prefer to apply the stain remover like a deodorant stick.

Currently $7.99 on Amazon

Shout Advanced Gel

Shout Advanced Gel is one of Consumer Reports’ top choices for laundry stain removers because it can be applied up to a week before washing your clothes. It is also the top recommendation by The New York Times, one of Amazon’s best sellers and top rated items, and recommended by About.com. The powerful formula has two enzymes that can treat even the most difficult set in stains much more quickly. The gel formula is thick enough to stay put wherever you apply it, in order to deeply penetrate the stain. The plastic bottle also has a built-in stain-lifting brush that can make it even easier to treat and remove stains for good.

In the rare event that it does not remove the stain, a second application will do the trick. It works in all water temperatures and is safe for all colors. Some reviewers also found that it works great on carpet stains. The Shout Advanced Action Gel Trigger, Shout Triple Acting Trigger, and Shout On-the-Go Instant Stain Remover Wipes are other award-winning options from the trusted Shout brand.

Currently $2.87 on Amazon

Tide Mini Instant Liquid Stain Remover

If you tend to spill food and drinks on yourself all the time, then you need to keep a Tide Mini Instant Liquid Stain Remover pen on you at all times. This is one of Amazon’s best sellers, Tide’s #1 selling instant stain remover, and recommended by About.com. It has outstanding reviews from people who say this works perfectly at removing all types of new stains. It is great for on-the-go spills when you aren’t near a washing machine because it will eliminate stains on the spot, so you won’t have to worry about embarrassing situations in public.

You can apply it directly to new stains, without the need for water. You just press the tip of the pen onto the stain several times and rub the pen gently across the stain to remove it. This three pack is a great deal and will allow you to put a stain remover pen in your home, purse, office, car, laundry room, travel bag, and anywhere else you may need one.

Currently $9.45 on Amazon

OxiClean Versatile Stain Remover

As Amazon’s #1 best seller in laundry stain removers, the OxiClean Versatile Stain Remover can be used for a huge range of things, making it one of the most versatile items in your home. It is also one of the top rated items on Amazon, Cook’s Illustrated’s top choice for laundry stain removers, and is recommended by ConsumerReports and About.com. It uses a bubbling oxygen power to improve your detergent’s effectiveness. The ultimate stain fighting power will help you eliminate even old, dried-in stains of any kind. After using this stain remover, your clothes will appear good as new.

To use this, you need to dissolve the powder in water and then pre-soak the stained items for one to six hours. This can take a lot more time and effort than other stain removers, but most reviewers agree that the unbeatable results are worth it. In fact, even 72-hour old stains are no match for this stain remover. It is also commonly recommended for tough pet stains and odors, and smelly sports uniforms. You can either apply the diluted stain remover directly to the stain, or just add a scoop to the wash to increase the effectiveness of your detergent. In the rare event that it does not remove the stain on the first try, a second application will do the trick. Along with cleaning up stains from your laundry, the powerful stain remover can also be used to clean your carpet, upholstery, patio furniture, kitchen and bathroom grime, and even your walls. If you don’t like the powder form, the OxiClean Max Force Gel Stick and OxiClean Max Force Stain Remover Spray are other very highly rated items from the trusted OxiClean brand that are easier to apply.

Currently $12.48 on Amazon

Grandma's Secret Spot Remover

Grandma's Secret Spot Remover is one of Amazon’s best sellers in laundry stain removers, as well one of the top rated and “most wished for” items on Amazon. It was once a well-guarded secret and now everyone is talking about this effective spot remover. It has received rave reviews online and is commonly recommended by home and lifestyle publications. Many reviewers agree that this spot remover will work well even on set-in stains that were left behind by other stain removers.

All it takes is a drop to remove even the worst stains from laundry, upholstery, and carpet. Once you have rubbed the spot remover into the stained area, you only need to wait a few minutes (rather than hours) to see results. The small bottle applies the stain remover drop by drop, so if you have a larger stain to remove, you may want to cut the tip of the applicator off or stick a needle or pin into the top to make the applicator hole bigger. The small bottle size makes it perfect for your travel bag, in case of spills on vacation.

Currently $5.00 on Amazon

And those are our recommendations for the best laundry stain removers. As always, be sure to check Wise Bread's Buying Calendar to learn when and how to buy just about anything!

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This article is from Andrea Cannon of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

The 5 Best Laundry Detergents

Andrea Cannon — Wed, 06 May 2015 09:00:26 +0000

Finding the right laundry detergent requires a combination of choosing what works best on your clothes, with what your personal preferences are. If you have a high efficiency washer, then using a traditional detergent can cause excess suds. Instead, the Soap and Detergent Association recommends that you look for an HE detergent that is designed for your washer.

What is Laundry Detergent?

Laundry detergent can remove dirt, stains, and other marks from your clothing. It can also make your laundry refreshed, brighter, smelling great, and looking like new. There are a range of detergent types available, such as liquid, powdered, and detergent pack forms. There are also a range of detergent scents and options to choose from, so you can easily find one that best suits your household or business. We’ve covered some of the most effective detergents to help you choose the right one to efficiently clean your dirty laundry in no time.

Top 5 Laundry Detergents

Tide Pods Laundry Detergent

Tide Pods are a favorite brand amongst picky consumers and national review sites, including Consumer Reports. As Amazon’s #1 best seller in powder laundry detergent, these no-mess Tide Pods are neat and clean, lightweight, and easy to store. They are very easy to use, just toss one in the laundry and you’re done. They also don’t cost much more than comparable laundry detergent. These 3-in-1 pods are also a Good Housekeeping choice for one of the best laundry detergents due to their superior cleaning power.

Along with containing detergent suitable for colors and whites, each pod also contains a stain remover and brightener to reveal your cleanest, brightest clothes. They can be used with regular or high efficiency washers, in any water temperature. They are also available in an array of fresh, clean scents to suit your personal preferences. If you are used to traveling to a nearby laundromat, then these are ideal. They are much lighter, easier to transport, and easier to use than traditional, heavy detergents.

Currently $18.98 on Amazon

Tide Original Scent High Efficiency Liquid Laundry Detergent

Tide Original High Efficiency is consistently a favorite brand on Consumer Reports and is one of the most popular options amongst consumers. As Amazon’s #1 best seller in liquid laundry detergent, this high efficiency liquid detergent is phosphate-free and made of biodegradable soaps. It contains more cleaning ingredients and less water, resulting in a low-sudsing formula. The updated formula has more active ingredients than before, so you can use less in each load, saving you money over time.

Only one small cap of detergent is needed for each load, so you get the same number of loads in a smaller bottle. The original scent is fresh and clean, but there are a variety of scents to choose from, to best suit your personal preferences.

Currently $11.97 on Amazon

Wisk Deep Clean

In an independent study by ABC News, Wisk Deep Clean was rated highest among conventional brands and high-efficiency brands. Wisk is also a Consumer Reports’ choice for the best laundry detergents and has been a beloved brand for years thanks to its stain-fighting abilities.

Along with outstanding customer reviews, professionals also find it best for work uniforms as it offers a deep clean and can reveal the cleanest, brightest, whitest laundry, compared to other detergents. It can handle even the toughest stains, like grass, blood, tea, and chocolate stains. The liquid detergent cleans very well (even in cold water) and can brighten clothes more with FBA (fluorescent brightening agents). It is available in a variety of clean scents, as well as a free & pure option. With options for HE and standard washers, you can use this with any washing machine. It is also easy to use with legible directions and visible markings in the cap.

Currently $29.99 on Amazon

Tide Plus Coldwater High Efficiency Liquid Laundry Detergent

Tide Plus Coldwater is a favorite brand amongst households and national review sites alike. As a Good Housekeeping choice for one of the best laundry detergents, this Tide for cold water proved to remove more tough stains in cold water than other detergents were able to accomplish in hot water. Even grass, chocolate, and blood stains are no match for this cold water detergent. By using cold water on your laundry, you can expect to save about 50% on your monthly energy bill. This detergent works efficiently, has a craveworthy fresh scent and superior color protection, offers a more effective solution for your delicate fabrics, and can save you money on your monthly water-heating bill.

This is a Consumer Reports’ choice for the best laundry detergents and with overwhelmingly positive reviews, it’s a popular option for homes with high efficiency washers.

Currently $11.97 on Amazon

Arm & Hammer Liquid Laundry Detergent

As Amazon’s #1 best seller in commercial laundry detergent, Arm & Hammer detergent can clean away even the toughest stains. It is ideal for all machines, including high efficiency washers, and can be used in all water temperatures, on all laundry, even dark loads. It is designed to power out dirt and odors and will leave your clothes clean, fresh, free of stains, and smelling great. It contains the power of Arm & Hammer, as well as special agents to trap soil in the wash water.

One affordable bottle is enough for 140 loads, making it ideal for commercial laundromats and households with heavy laundry needs. The bottle also contains two pouring spouts, a clear top for dispensing the detergent and a blue top for allowing air in, preventing a vacuum seal from forming.

Currently $12.00 on Amazon

And those are our recommendations for the best laundry detergent. As always, be sure to check Wise Bread's Buying Calendar to learn when and how to buy just about anything!

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This article is from Andrea Cannon of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

5 DIY Laundry Detergent Recipes

Ashley Marcin — Thu, 30 Jan 2014 11:36:20 +0000

Grocery shopping is one of my favorite activities. I'm relatively confident when picking and choosing my whole and packaged foods. I can evaluate freshness, scan labels, and quickly figure nutritional contents through much practice and passion. When it comes to buying household cleaning products, though, I become rather paralyzed. (See also: Best All-Purpose Cleaners)

In those final grocery store aisles, I can spend what seems like hours scrutinizing items like dish soap, glass cleaner, and laundry detergent. I choose based on brightly packaged promises and then play an exchange game based on which one has the best unit price. Seems like no matter how hard I've tried, I've never developed tried-and-true mainstays that meet all my criteria.

Eventually, I grew tired of these shenanigans. I favor a simplified routine anyway, but a lot of natural cleaning products are pricey. So, I decided that making my own is not only easier and less toxic, but it also saves my family money. (See also: 8 Green Cleaners You Already Have)

In fact, my mom — a DIY detergent goddess — has always told me there's no better place to start than with laundry detergent. She's been making her own soaps for years and, through trial and error, helped me discover these five great DIY "recipes" to try.

Basic Powder

1 bar laundry soap (like Fels-Naptha)
1 cup borax
1 cup washing soda

Grate the soap bar either by hand or in a food processor. Then combine all ingredients in an airtight container and mix to evenly distribute.

Use 1 to 2 tablespoons per load.

Basic Liquid

1 cup hot water
1 cup liquid castile soap (like Dr. Bronner's)
1/2 cup borax
1/2 cup washing soda

Combine the borax and washing soda in a bowl or tub. Pour in the hot water and stir until everything is combined/dissolved. Then pour into a gallon container and slowly pour in the castile soap. Gently tip up and down to fully incorporate (without agitating too many bubbles). Allow to cool, then add cold water to container until full.

Use 1/4 cup per load.

Cloth Diaper Safe Detergent (Liquid)

1/4 cup borax
1/4 cup washing soda
3 tablespoons Dawn Dish Soap (must be "original" kind)
5 cups hot water

Combine the borax and washing soda in a bowl or tub. Pour in the hot water and stir until everything is combined/dissolved. Then pour into a gallon container and slowly pour in the Dawn Dish Soap — which cuts grease, meaning it won't build up in cloth diapers. Gently tip up and down to fully incorporate, then allow to cool. Fill container with cold water until full. (See also: Having a Baby Without Going Broke)

Use 1/4 cup per load

Note: While stripping my cloth diapers one afternoon, I learned that original Dawn is a powerful weapon. So, I searched around and found a great laundry soap recipe which includes this key ingredient. Over time, I adapted it to the one you see above by adding in more of the active ingredients.

Borax-Free Detergent (Powder)

1 bar laundry soap (like Fels-Naptha)
1 cup baking soda
1 cup washing soda

Grate the soap bar either by hand or in a food processor. Then combine all ingredients in an airtight container and mix to evenly distribute.

Use 1 to 2 tablespoons per load.

Borax-Free Detergent (Liquid)

1 cup liquid castile soap (like Dr. Bronner's)
1/2 cup baking soda
1/2 cup washing soda
5 cups hot water

In a large container, combine the hot water and washing soda. Stir until dissolved. Then add in the baking soda and, again, stir until dissolved. Pour into a gallon container and fill container with additional cold water until almost full. Then slowly add the castile soap. Gently tip up and down to fully incorporate.

Use 1/3 cup per load.

Making It Smell Good and Other Extras

You can jazz up the liquid recipes by adding drops of different essential oils. My favorite scents include lavender, eucalyptus, and even peppermint. In addition, you may choose to add sea salt as an extra water softener if needed (though washing soda alone usually does the trick). For a boost in whitening and brightening, add some vinegar to your rinse cycle. It's all about experimentation. (See also: Weird and Wonderful Ways to Use Vinegar)

As far as how these laundry soaps work on HE machines versus standard, it's a bit of an experiment. My mom says liquid is best for her HE machine, which accords with most HE detergent advice I've found. I use mostly powders in my standard washer. A little testing should help you discover what's best in your situation.

What's your favorite homemade laundry soap recipe?

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This article is from Ashley Marcin of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

15 Ways to Reuse Detergent Bottles

Paul Michael — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 10:36:25 +0000

Let’s talk about detergent bottles. Wonderful, adaptable detergent bottles.

Most people have one use for them — to hold laundry detergent. But if you look at the design of modern detergent bottles, they clearly have a life beyond the last drop of liquid goodness inside. All it takes is a little imagination.

In my previous post on reusing disposable items, I briefly touched on the detergent bottle. And in doing so, I uncovered a multitude of uses for this versatile bottle that is usually trashed or recycled the second it runs dry.

A quick tip before we get to the list — the design of detergent bottles is quite unfriendly for the consumer. If you use them as directed, you’ll be left with at least one or two extra loads in the bottle even though nothing is pouring out. There are ways to get to it, but in doing so you may have to render the bottle almost useless. However, depending on your method of extracting the precious liquid, you could still be left with a very useful hunk of plastic. (See also: 22 Ways to Reuse Paper)

1. Sharps (Needles) Disposer

According to Diabetes.org, over 8% of the US population is diabetic (PDF). That’s quite the statistic. A vast majority of those people require regular shots of insulin, and those needles, or sharps, must be disposed of safely. They sell sharps containers in the stores, and they run anywhere from a few bucks to several hundred dollars for a two-gallon size. But why bother spending any money? Take an empty detergent bottle, secure the lid to the base with strong tape, and cut a small slot in the top. You now have a safe place to keep your sharps. When it’s full, seal the slot and dispose of it safely (PDF).

2. Ice Melt Shaker

I used to keep my ice melt in an old cat litter container and used a scoop to sprinkle it on walkways and driveways. The laundry detergent bottle is even easier. Just fill one with ice melt and then do one of two things:

Remove the lid and sprinkle liberally, or…
Poke large holes in the lid and sprinkle, like a giant salt cellar

Either way works; it just depends how much ice you have and how much you want to put down on the floor.

3. Drip Irrigation

Clean your detergent bottle and fill to the top with water. Place it in the top of your plant pot, or next to plants in the garden, and punch a few very small holes in the bottom (plus one in the top if you want the water to flow more freely).

You now have a simple but effective tool for providing plants with a slow and steady source of water. This is very helpful if you’re going on vacation and don’t want your plants to perish in your absence. It’s also good if you simply want to remove a daily task from your agenda. Now, watering the plants can be done automatically; all you need to do is fill up the container when it’s empty.

4. A Lampshade

Seriously. There are plenty of pictures of detergent-bottle lamps demonstrating the various methods available to you for construction. Some simply require you to thoroughly wash your bottle, which includes removing the label, and then attaching to a lamp fitting. Others are much more elaborate. The lamps are unique, and if done right can look like art with a high dollar value.

5. Toddler Tool Box

I saw this one at a friend’s house, and he sent me the link to the original toddler tool box creator. If you have one of those huge detergent bottles and also have young kids, don’t throw it away. Follow these instructions to create a fun (and free) toolbox that your young one can carry all of his or her valuables, cars, dolls, or anything else in. And the grown-ups can use it too.

6. Watering Can

Hot on the heels of the ice melt shaker, you can also use your old detergent bottles as watering cans. The small ones are great for the younger kids, and the big ones work almost as well as the pricey ones from the hardware stores. Just wash your bottle thoroughly, then poke many small holes (a metal skewer is good for this) in the lid. Fill with water, tighten the lid, and you have a great watering can for nothing.

7. A Handy Scoop or Funnel

Don’t pay for a scoop again. Just cut your clean detergent bottle diagonally across the middle, and you have a sturdy scoop that can be used for all sorts of things. Make one for the cat litter, one for fertilizer, and even use one of the larger ones as a dustpan. You can also use a straight cut across the middle to create a funnel, which can be handy for pouring paint into smaller containers.

8. Free Weights

Literally. The first set of weights I ever bought were light as a feather. When you took them home, you would fill them with sand and they became heavy enough to use in a workout. The same principle applies here. Fill your different sized detergent bottles with sand and you will have weights of varying sizes, which can be used like a kettle bell for strength training.

9. Paint Storage

Paint cans are annoying. They have to be hammered shut, opened with a special tool or screwdriver, and the paint always drips down them. If you don’t get the lid on tight enough, you will be greeted with a can of thick or dried out paint when you next use it. Even a small amount of water loss from the can change the color and consistency. So, when you’ve got paint left in a can from a decorating job, pour it into a detergent bottle and screw the lid on tight. When you next come to decorate, you’ll have fresh, easily pourable paint with no drips. Make sure you put a little of the paint on the outside of the bottle to recognize it on the shelf.

10. A New Spin on Sandbags

A few people in my neighborhood have basketball hoops, and they weight them down with sandbags. You can create your own weights with sand and a detergent bottle, just like in the free weights tip. These can be used to hold anything down, such as tarps, tents, or sports nets, or used to add additional weight in your trunk in those tough winter driving months.

11. A Slug Trap

Worms are a gardener’s best friends. Slugs, alas, are not. They are a pest that can destroy your plants and vegetables. To make a simple slug trap with a detergent bottle, make a straight cut 2-3 inches from the bottom. Sink this base into the ground, ensuring the rim is level with the soil, and fill with bait (a little beer, or some water and yeast). You can also coat the inside walls of the base with a little liquid soap. The slugs will come in to feed, but cannot get back out.

12. Swimming Floats

This is about as easy at it gets. Clean the detergent bottles thoroughly, removing the labels. Then screw on the tops very tight. You now have cheap and effective floats to help the little ones in the pool.

13. Hand Washing Station

My grandpa, a keen gardener, used to do this with old plastic milk jugs; but it works just as well with detergent bottles. Clean them, fill with water, and leave them on your potting table or in your shed. Place some napkins and liquid soap nearby. When you’re ready to come in, you’ve got the convenience of a sink without the plumbing.

14. Feed the Birds

Tuppence a bag! Sorry, I love Mary Poppins. I also love birds, and I have a feeding station on the front lawn. You can create a good bird feeder from detergent bottles, and a little green or black spray paint can make them blend right in. First, cut holes in the sides of the jug, around 2-4 inches in diameter. If you want to provide perches, drill holes and push dowel rods through them. Puncture a few small holes in the base for water drainage. Then, hang from a tree or garden pole and fill with seed.

15. Piggy Bank

A penny saved is a penny earned. So don’t buy a piggy bank, use an old detergent bottle and use the money you saved as your first deposit. Simply clean out your bottle, screw the top on tight, and cut a slot just big enough for the largest coin to fit through. Have the kids paint it if you want, or spray-paint it yourself.

You can duct tape the lid onto the bottle to deter people from dipping into the fund. And if you want it to be really tough to open, apply some super glue around the spout and screw on the lid. The only way you can get it open now is to cut it open. When you do, if it’s full, you’ll have quite the spending spree to go on.

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This article is from Paul Michael of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Defensive Laundry: 9 Ways to Help Your Clothes Last Longer

Kentin Waits — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 11:00:33 +0000

As an avid thrift shopper, I see first-hand the wreckage that bad laundry habits cause. The extra large virgin wool sweater that barely survives the dryer as size 3T, the nice white cotton shirt that met an early death from a red wine stain — these are all preventable tragedies. Since we spend some serious cash on our clothes from time-to-time, let’s make them last by exploring a few defensive measures we can take in the laundry room. (See also: More Ways to Make Your Clothes Last Longer)

1. Stain Removal, STAT

Stains are part of life. Treating them quickly and correctly is half the battle in preventing that $30 shirt from becoming an expensive dust cloth. Carry a stain removal pen for treating spots on-the-go, and then retreat and launder quickly when you get home. Check the garment again after the wash cycle to make sure the stain’s history. If it’s not, treat again before tossing in the dryer.

2. Read Carefully

It takes an expert hand to instinctively know how to launder each type of fabric. The rest of us need to follow those care instructions closely. If that sweater says “dry clean only,” don’t assume a cold wash on the gentle cycle will do the trick. With a little experience, you’ll begin to see which care instructions can be bent without jeopardizing your clothes.

3. Divide and Conquer

Sorting clothes before washing not only protects the color; it protects the fabric too. Sharp zipper teeth, rivets, and snaps don’t do any favors for delicate fabrics or knits.

4. Bag It

Mesh bags are great for protecting your delicates in the washer. They also work as organizers for socks and baby clothes that can easily get lost in laundry Never-Never Land.

5. Less Is More

We’re too much in love in detergent and fabric softener. Over time, these detergents settle into the fabric of our clothes and leave them stiff and dingy.

6. Lighten Up

Over-stuffing your washer’s basin may be a quick way to get more laundry done, but it’s not good for your clothes. Heavy loads cause friction between fabrics, which wears clothes out faster. Items in overstuffed machines get less agitation too — which means less thorough cleaning.

7. Cool It

For some fabrics, hot water can cause shrinking and make those temporary stains permanent ones. Read your clothing labels carefully and when in doubt, wash in cool water. High heat in the dryer can also set stains and prematurely wear fabrics. Use cooler dryer settings or line dry items for fabrics you’re unsure about or for those favorite items you want to take extra-special care of.

8. The Bleach Teach

It’s unavoidable — chlorine bleach not properly diluted will damage any fabric. Make sure to use it sparingly and properly to brighten those whites. Always use your machine’s bleach dispenser to slowly mix the bleach with water, or fill your washer with water first and let the bleach agitate for awhile before adding your clothing. This approach will help prevent those yellow bleach stains on whites.

9. Light Starch, Please

The debate about the level of damage starch can cause to fabric rages on. When ironing dress shirts err on the side of caution, and use spray starch sparingly. Focus on those unruly sleeve cuffs and collars instead of starching the whole shirt.

What are your favorite tips and tricks to keep your clothes in tip-top shape? What have years of defensive laundry methods taught you that our readers need to know?

This article is from Kentin Waits of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Does More Detergent Make for More Clean?

Philip Brewer — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:00:03 +0000

Given the number of posts at frugality sites on how to make your own cleaning supplies (and the number of reads those posts get), the topic is obviously one of interest to the community. My take is that there's an easier way to save money on cleaning supplies than making your own: Use less.

It may not take a genius to observe that using less saves money, but it does take more than average awareness to see through all the ways manufacturers get you to use too much, and to see just how much less is actually enough.

Laundry detergent

For example, how much detergent does it take to get your clothes clean? The answer depends on how dirty they are. If you've been working (or playing) hard outdoors, it may take quite a bit. If you've been repairing bicycles or rebuilding engines or working as a fry cook, it may take even more. But if you've been sitting at home or working in a cubicle, it doesn't actually take much.

Plus, the fact is, using more detergent than you need makes your clothes less clean, because some of it stays behind in your clothes.

I first learned about this back in the mid-1990s, when several companies started marketing these ceramic disks that supposedly cleaned your laundry without detergent. Many people who tried them found that they seemed to work, but only for a while. Eventually, people figured out that what was happening was that there was enough detergent left in clothes from previous launderings to get the clothes clean, even if you just washed them in water, until everything in the load has been run through a cycle or two without added detergent.

Mull that over for a minute: Even after rinsing, there's still enough detergent left in your clothes to wash them again. That little detergent — the amount left behind after the rinse cycle in your washer — is all it takes to get your clothes clean.

Once I internalized that, I started using much, much less laundry detergent. For ordinary amounts of dirt, a quarter of the recommended quantity is plenty. For clothing that has only been worn indoors, just an eighth is probably enough. Not only will small amounts get your clothes clean, they'll be more clean, because they'll have a lot less detergent left in the fabric.

Obviously the manufacturer's incentives are to recommend using more. Not only do people who use more buy more, but it reduces the chance that you'll lose respect for the product due to having load of especially dirty laundry come out less than completely clean.

All your other cleaning supplies

Much the same is true of all your other cleaning supplies.

How much shampoo does it take to get your hair clean? It depends on how oily your hair is (and how much hair you have), but it doesn't take a lot to get hair clean. (And if you don't strip every last little bit of oil out of your hair by washing it twice, you may find that you don't need to add oil back in the form of hair conditioner.)

How much toothpaste is enough? The ADA recommends a pea-sized amount for children. (They suggest that adults use "just enough" to cover the length of the bristles on their toothbrush, but I expect that was due to pressure from the toothpaste manufacturers.)

In the kitchen and bathroom it's particularly easy to start with just a little and then add more if things aren't getting clean.

Using less doesn't just save money; it's also gentler on the planet. It uses less natural resources to make the stuff, package it, and ship it to you; it exposes you to a smaller dose of the chemicals involved, and dumps less of them into the environment.

Experiment with using less — and not just a little less. Start with using half as much. If things still get clean, cut by half as much again. Personally, I find that about one-quarter of the recommended amount is usually a lot closer to the right amount than what the manufacturer recommends.

This article is from Philip Brewer of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread: