Homemade Laundry Detergent

Before you say that you'll never make your own laundry detergent, wait.  I said that to myself the first time I saw it pinned on Pinterest.  After I came across it a few more times, I decided to look into it further.

Basically, if you can open a box and empty it, then you can do this within minutes and you probably won't need to do it for another year!  And....and, and, and, it's super cheap!  Thinking about trying it now?

First I will tell you my favorite store bought detergents.   I love Method Fresh Air or Clorox Green Works.  They are both eco-friendly and smell so good!   However, I don't love the price or how quickly I run out, so that is why I decided to try homemade laundry detergent.  It's still green and it still has a nice fresh scent, why not?

There are a few variations of recipes out there, so I pinned a bunch on my How To... pinboard on Pinterest.  There's even a liquid version.  While I'm partial to liquid detergents, there was more work involved (boiling it).  Call me lazy, but I just didn't want to boil my laundry detergent, plus the powder just looks too cute in a container on your washer.   I came across this particular recipe several times and it seemed easy enough, so I went for it.

Here's What You Need:

4 lb 12 oz box Borax (laundry aisle)

3 lb 7 oz. box super washing soda (laundry aisle)

4 lb box of baking soda (baking aisle)

3 bars of Fels-Naptha soap, Zote or Ivory (Fels-Naptha found at my ACE Hardware store)

** Many of the recipes called for OxiClean as an optional ingredient, but I decided against it because I only use OxiClean every now and then.  Some said to use 2 small containers (3.5 lbs. total) of Oxiclean or 1 cup.  I guess that's up to you.

STEP 1:

Get yourself a tall kitchen bag and line a small garbage can or bucket.

STEP 2:

Grate the bar soap.  I used a parmesan cheese grater, but if you have a good blender or food processor and you think it can handle a block of soap, I recommend that.  I admit, this part was a pain and will take you more than a few minutes if you have to do it by hand.  My blender can't even blend a smoothie, so I had to do it the old fashioned way.  It actually looks like cheese, doesn't it?

STEP 3:

Layer the ingredients. Bar soap, Borax, mix. Bar soap, baking soda, mix.  Bar soap, washing soda, mix.  I mixed some with a spoon and even my hands, but also took the bag out of the garbage can and turned it back and forth and upside down while holding the top closed.

STEP 4:

Put it in a sealed container, otherwise if it gets damp, it will clump together to make a big chunk.
I learned that the hard way, but that's another story.

I chose this cute 1 1/2 gallon glass canister from Target.  It will fill all the way to the top and leave a little extra.  I just put the extra in a mason jar.  There was a 2 1/2 gallon canister, but it just looked too big on my washer, so I opted for a bit of overflow and the smaller container.

STEP 5:

Cute it up if you want.  If I have to do laundry, it makes me feel better when my surroundings are cute.  I used the black contact paper I got for my mason jar drink cups and a white marker to write "laundry".  I've since added "2 scoops" for my husband.  He said he wouldn't remember.  That made me laugh.  I also got a cute stainless steel coffee scoop for my scooper.

STEP 6:

Do laundry.

You will only need 2 tablespoons per load.

I've read this will last you about 9-12 months!

How great is that?!

Cost Breakdown:
Baking Soda                             $4.49
Washing Soda                          $4.79
Borax                                        $6.49
Fels Naptha Soap ($1.79 x 3)  $5.37
TOTAL                       $21.14 for a year supply! Not bad!

Side Notes:

Yes, you can use it in an HE washer and yes, you can put it in the dispenser.  I noticed that some people mentioned that you need to put it directly in the drum or dissolve it first.  I'm a rebel, so I tried it in the dispenser set on powder.  Don't know if all HE washers have a setting for liquid and powder, but mine does.

It dissolved completely on its own.  Haven't had a problem.

Also, from what I've read, these ingredients work with hard water.

This detergent does not get sudsy, but bubbles do not do the cleaning, that is just added for fun.

I've only been using it for a week, but it's working great so far.

Do I need to write, "use at your own risk" or "results may vary"? I don't know, I just noticed others wrote that.  You won't send me nasty notes if you don't like it, right?  I hope not.

If you're hesitant to make a year's supply without trying it out first, I found this smaller quantity recipe.  Sorry I can't find the link I got it from, but here is what I wrote down:

1 bar Fels-Naptha bar soap

1 cup Borax

1 cup washing soda

1/4 cup baking soda

Happy Washing!

Kim