Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Homemade Laundry Detergent

It seems like the cost of everything is up which can be a bit of a pain especially when it is something you use almost daily if not everyday, like laundry detergent.  A friend of mine turned me onto making my own laundry detergent after my oldest was born.  We were always looking of ways to cut costs.  Both my boys and myself included have super sensitive skin.  We cannot have anything with perfumes, dyes, or harsh chemicals because they are so irritating for us.  Free and clear detergents and baby detergents can run into some real coin.  When my friend showed me how easy and cost effective making my own detergent was I was willing to try.  Of course the first thing that I wondered was does it work though?  I was amazed to find out it does and even more amazed at my savings.

Here is what you will need:

1 – 55 ounce box of Arm & Hammer® Super Washing Soda = $3.99
1 – 76 ounce box of 20 Mule Team® Borax = $4.99
1 – 10 pack of 4.5 ounce bars of Dove® Sensitive Skin Bar Soap = $15.99 or $1.60/bar (This is what I use.  You can use anything though. Other brands of commonly used bar soaps include Pure & Natural®, Ivory®, and did I mention it is really up to you?)

So in total I spent $24.97.  With 10 bars of soap this will make 10 batches of detergent.  Per batch that breaks down to roughtly $4.99 a batch with about 65 loads in each batch.  That ends up being $0.07 a load!!!! 


So how do you make it? 

For dry detergent (powdered)
  • 2 bars of shaved bar soap (use a cheese grater or for an easier way use a food processor to shave it)
  • 1 cup of borax
  • 1 cup of washing soda
Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly for about 5 minutes to make sure it is mixed well.  Store in a container.  Use 1 Tbsp per load or 2 for heavily soiled loads.

That's it.

For liquid detergent.
  • Same items above
  • 2 empty gallon jugs
  • water
Fill a large pot with water and place on the stove.  While heating add the shaved soap flakes.  Continually stir the flakes until they are dissolved completely. Once boiling remove from heat and place in the sink (there is a good chance of boil over).  Quickly stir in the borax and baking soda until dissolved.  Using a funnel divide the detergent in the pot between the gallon jugs.  Fill the remainder of the jug with water.  Place the cap on and store.  You will use 1 cup of the homemade detergent per load, 1 1/2 for heavily soiled loads.

It really is that easy and cheap :)

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