Laundry Detergent

Homemade Laundry Detergent 

So I have been making my own laundry detergent for a over a year now.  The reason I started making it was to save my family money. We were spending at least $20 every couple months buying detergent and that adds up. So this was and is a huge savings for our family. Now we can use the money saved for family fun instead. Several friends and family members have asked what is the recipe I use and I have shared it with them. But in case anyone who is reading this would like to know I thought I would share with you. I wished I knew where I got the original recipe but I don't have a clue. If I knew I would give credit where credit is due. There are several through out blogland.

Powdered Laundry Detergent

1 cup or bar of Fels-Naptha soap bar

1 cup Washing Soda

1 cup Borax

All these ingredients can be found on the laundry aisle at Wal-Mart

Grate the soap with a hand grater

soap is kind of thick after grating

Measure out the washing soda and borax into a bowl together

and then add the grated soap

To make it more fine and get mixed really well I put the mixture into the food processor

after mixed together

This also helps break up the borax, it can clump, and it makes the soap more a powder form. 

Now it's ready to put into what ever jar or old Tupperware container you have. 

This is the first time since December 2011 that I have made detergent. At that time this container was full.

 Yields around 3 cups

And this is the best part you only use 1 Tablespoon of detergent per load, yes only 1 Tablespoon compared to a cup or more of the store bought stuff. You can use 2 Tablespoons for heavy soiled loads. Sometimes we do especially in house full of boys.

 And yes our clothes come out clean for A Lot less money.  And remember this mixture will not make suds so it is safe to use in the high efficiency washers. I will shake it up every few loads to make sure it's still mixed well and doesn't form any clumps. We also add a 1/4 cup of white vinegar for the fabric softener compartment and then fill it the rest of the way with water. Your clothes will not come out smelling like pickles, I promise. If any questions feel free to ask. I will answer to the best of my knowledge.

Happy Laundering!

hugs and prayers~ KM