Home made laundry detergent.

In this economy, everyone is looking for ways to save a buck, right. Given the average 10 loads of laundry I do every week, - yes 10
2 Whites
1 Colors
2 Darks
1 Lights
1 cold lights
1 cold darks
1 light towels
1 dark towels.
4 kids, 2 potty training, school & Dance uniforms, and a husband who can not wear ANYTHING twice, even if it was only on for 5 minutes.

One of the most expensive household items for me is laundry detergent.
So I read this article on how you don't even really need laundry detergent to clean your clothes. Basically it says that the agitation alone is enough to get them clean. It also stated that a cheaper alternative to store bought laundry detergent (which can run about 20 cents per load) is to make your own (which costs about 2 cent per load).

So I am giving it a whirl. I will put the recipe at the bottom of this post.

First step was to get the ingredients.

For the soap, I just used one I had swiped at a hotel on our last stay. (Why do we do that really?)
The Borax, easy enough I got at Walmart for abut $2.
The washing soda was a little more difficult, as Walmart did not carry it. I did find at our grocery store, Kroger, by Arm and Hammer, Super Washing Soda. So I got that. Be sure not to confuse this with baking soda, which is also sold in the laundry aisle. These are not the same.

Step one: Grate the bar of soap and dissolve in 4 cups of water.
This took much longer than I expected. It's done over a low heat, so it took about 20minutes for the mixture to become a milky consistency.

The recipe calls for a 5 gallon bucket to mix it in. You need this. I did not have one, so I used a standard household bucket which is only 3 gallons. So I had to separate it- so hopefully the mixture still holds up.
You will also need something long enough to stir it with.

The waiting game takes place next, as you have to wait 24 hours. So I will check back on it tomorrow. Not the mix and go I had expected-hoping to get some laundry done today. O twist my arm, I shall wait another day to do laundry.

Also, this makes about 4 gallons, so you will need something to put it in once it is all done. I held onto my last laundry dispenser, although, it won't be large enough!


Here is the recipe I used.:

• 4 cups of water.
• 1/3 bar of cheap soap, grated.
• 1/2 cup washing soda (not baking soda).
• 1/2 cup of Borax (20 Mule Team).
• 5-gallon bucket for mixing.
• 3 gallons of water.

First, mix the grated soap in a saucepan with 4 cups of water, and heat on low until the soap is completely dissolved. Add hot water/soap mixture to 3 gallons of water in the 5-gallon bucket, stir in the washing soda and Borax, and continue stirring until thickened. Let the mix sit for 24 hours, and voila! Homemade laundry detergent.