Homemade Laundry Detergent!

I've heard of people doing this, so I decided to give it a shot!  That's right ladies and gentlemen - I made my own laundry detergent!  I found the recipe at:

http://beingcreativetokeepmysanity.blogspot.com/

A TON of people commented on her post & it seems that they all love it!  It's really easy to make and it is supposed to last forever (or close to it!)  Here's how:


You will need:

(ALL of the following items can be found in the laundry detergent isle.  I bought everything at WalMart!)

1 - 4 lb 12 oz box Borax (2.15 kg or 76 oz)  $3.38

1 - 4 lb box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda (1.81 kg) $2.12
1 - box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda 55 oz (3 lb 7 oz) $3.24
3 - bars of Fels-naptha soap, found in the detergent isle  $.97/ea = $2.91

  (you can also use pink Zote soap instead of Fels-naptha (sources say it can be found at Home Depot).

1 - 3lb tub of oxi clean (I used Green Works) $6.97

Total Cost: $18.62

Next: Grate the Fels-Napthan soap using a cheese grater or a food processor, whichever you have! I used a cheese grater using the largest grate to speed things up! ....

It looks like cheese!

I wanted to make the soap a little finer, so I put it my processor (its tiny, but hey.. it's all I've got!)

 So then it looks a little like this:  ( it does dissolve in cold water, so don't worry about it not being super fine.  Though, I'm sure the finer it is the better!)

Mix everything together in a large bucket or bowl. Be carful because as you mix it powdery dust will fly everywhere!  I did it in a large mop bucket that I had, but it might be a good idea to mix it in a large bucket lined with a bag (to keep the dust from flying everywhere) OR do it outside.  The plus side of mixing it inside:  it makes your house smell fantastic!

Then put it in a container of your choice! 

This bowl is 2.5 gallons. (found in the food storage container section of Wally!)

Add one to two tablespoons for one load - and TAH DAH!  The blog above recommends 2 tablespoons just to be safe - AND it just so happens a scoop that size came in the Oxi Clean container! 

I will try to keep track with how many loads this will wash.  The originator said that she washed 8 loads of laundry per week and this lasted her 9 months!  $18.62 = 9+ months.  WIN.

Some things that the Being Creative to Keep My Sanity Blog answered:

-It is safe for HE machines (added to the drum)

-The scent is mild, so you may be able to add some laundry crystals for scent OR use fabric softener for a stronger smell.  Someone recommended adding one bottle of Purex laundry crystals to the mixture.

-Safe for sensitive skin

**Check out her blog for comments and other trouble shooting! **

I'll keep you posted on what I think of it!