In previous posts, I mentioned that our family will be living more frugally these days. Not only do I make my own breads, butter and jams but I’ve tried my hand at making laundry soap from scratch and cleaning supplies. So I was excited when I found a great frugal way to make my own bleach pen/dispenser to get rid of laundry stains using an ingredient I had on hand in my pantry–Cornstarch.

Frugal Kitchen Ingredient Spotlight:

Cornstarch has many culinary uses, but it is most often used as a thickener for sauces, gravies and fruit pie fillings. Cornstarch thickens very quickly and easily, and forms a clear sauce after cooking, rather than an opaque one. It has roughly twice the thickening power of flour, and while it is flavorless after cooking, it does need to be cooked for a short period to remove any starchy flavor from the starch, as well as to give the mixture it is used in a chance to thicken.

How To Make Your Own Bleach Gel Pen/Dispenser

I don’t use bleach pens on a routine basis frankly because I think their too expensive and don’t last very long. But they are great for stains on clothing and cleaning grout. So being able to make my own for just pennies to me is thrilling! Plus, I’ll be recycling my used up dish soap container to store it in. Nothing goes to waste when your living frugal.

Here’s how to make your own bleach pen/dispenser:

In a saucepan, add 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch to a cup of water. Stir until completely dissolved. Place mixture on stove and continue stirring until it comes to a boil and then turn the stove off. The mixture will become quite thick.

Allow mixture to COOL COMPLETELY…then add 5 to 6 Tablespoons of bleach. It should result in a nice gel, like the one you can see in this picture below.

If yours is thicker or thinner…just adjust water and/or cornstarch until you achieve the result you are looking for. (I took this picture of the gel on a brown paper bag so you could see how thick it gets.)

Pour mixture into an empty squeeze bottle or empty dish soap dispenser for dispensing.

Just imagine how much you can save by making your own bleach gel pen/dispenser!

Just imagine how much you can save by making your own bleach gel pen/dispenser!