Homemade Laundry Detergent

by Jess
(Dallas)

As a single parent, BIG money saving ideas are a must in my life style, so when I found this great homemade laundry detergent recipe I was was intrigued and had to try it.

Eco friendly, suitable for sensitive skin and COSTS A TENTH of any grocery store detergents....
As I was reading, I remember thinking that this can't possibly work as well as store bought detergent, but I tried it anyway.

Well I was wrong, this home made laundry detergent washes as good as, and if not better than most leading brands and it only takes about 15 minutes to make up a large bucket full :-)

Each wash works out at less than 6 cents per load, so you can stop throwing away your hard earned cash, and start feeling good about doing your bit for mother nature too!

A quick note before starting:
The color of your homemade laundry detergent will end up slightly lighter than the soap you use, and don't expect this detergent to soap up when washing because it doesn't ;-)

Ingredients
Water
Washing Soda 1/2 a cup
Borax 1/2 a cup
Bar of Soap 1/3 of a bar
(avoid using heavy perfumed soap, Ivory and Fels-Naptha soap have both worked well for me, although I do make my own soap and often use that) Other good soaps to try are Hardwater Castile and Sunlight.



How to make your own laundry detergent
In a good size pot heat up 6 cups of water, grate up the soap and add it to the pot, then stir until its melted. The color of your homemade laundry detergent will end up slightly lighter than the soap you have used.

Add the borax and the washing soda and continue to stir until all the powder has dissolved, then remove it from the heat.

Pour 4 cups of hot water into a clean pail, then add your warmed soap mixture to it and give it a good stir.

Add 1 gallon and 6 cups (10 pints) of cold water to your mix and stir again (I use a milk carton for this).

Transfer your finished home made laundry detergent into a large plastic container with a lid, or into individual Plastic bottles. Old laundry bottles are good for this but any thing will do.

Leave the homemade laundry detergent to stand and gel for about 24 hours before using, don't worry if it looks slimy and gloopy that's how it should be.

Give your laundry soap a quick stir before each use, or shake it if you're using bottles. Use 1/2 a cup per wash load, and for heavy stains rub a small amount into the stain before washing.


Its worth mentioning that you can add a little essential oil to your mix if you would rather have a perfumed detergent, here's How to make your own essential oils. But personally I don't, it's just clean fresh smelling clothes for me, I prefer to smell of my perfume rather than my laundry detergent:-)

I'm always looking for great money saving tips and ideas, so if you have any please send them in.

Homemade Laundry Soap

by Sue
(Maine)

Ive used the following homemade laundry soap for a few years now and Ive never looked back. We live on a farm with a septic tank, so it makes sense for us to use very natural products around the house.

Both the borax and the washing soda (washing crystals) can usually be found in the laundry section of your grocery store, if you're having trouble finding them then look on line. These products can save you hundreds of dollars over the years, considering that borax can also be used to make shampoo, and used as a bathroom cleaner. The washing soda (washing crystals) is great for keeping your drains grease free, cleaning gold and silver and can even remove moss from foot paths. Each wash works out at 7cents, so they are also a good investment.

To make your own laundry soap that's kind to your skin and the environment, simply mix all of these ingredients together and add 1 tablespoon full to each wash or 2 for a heavily soiled wash.

What you will need
2 cups of finely grated Soap, any bar of soap will work ivory, Sunlight, dove etc. But for extra cleaning power chose Fels-Naptha
1 cup of Washing Soda
1 cup of Borax

I hope you like my home made laundry soap recipe!