Wait. A. Second. Have you noticed how ridiculously high the price of laundry detergent is? We have an HE/front loading machine and I prefer to use the liquid detergent. Carrying those heavy jugs of detergent home from the grocery store is one thing, but paying exorbitant prices for what amounts to as mostly water is crazy.
I've read a lot of different recipes online and played with some until I was satisfied with the end product and I now make my own laundry detergent. For $5.56 for 2 gallons. Yes, for 2 gallons. And because I only use 1/4 cup for my HE/washer each load costs me less than 1/2 cent! For each 2 gallons of detergent you can get 128 loads if you use 1/2 cup for a top loading machine or 256 loads using 1/4 cup for front loading machines.
So what do you say? Are you willing to try making your own? It took me 20 minutes this morning to make the 2 gallons and I'll be set for months to come. And no more lugging heavy, expensive, chemically perfumed jugs of detergent home from the store. Does it work, you ask? Of course it does. Now that Jeremy is living with us again I am washing large amounts of filthy dirty, sweaty jeans and t-shirts that he wears to his welding job. They come out fresh smelling and clean each and every time. Hint: Instead of using perfumed and expensive softeners I just pour 1/2 cup of plain ole' vinegar (that I buy by the gallon at Sam's Club) into the softener dispenser. It helps to keep things smelling good and it also inhibits static when the clothes are pulled from the dryer.
Here's all you need:
1. Located on the top shelf of your laundry soap aisle at your local grocery store is Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda, 20 Mule Team Borax and bars of Fels Naptha Soap.
2. Stock pot (I bought an old one from our church thrift store for making non-food items)
3. 3 gallon plastic bucket and a wooden spoon
4. large funnel
5. 2 milk jugs that have been thoroughly washed
Here's the recipe:
1. In a large stockpot put 4 cups of water.
2. Grate 1/3 bar of Fels Naptha soap with a fine grater(I use my Microplaner grater from the kitchen) into the stockpot and put on the stove over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until the soap is completely melted. Don't boil it, just heat it up to melt the soap. If there are any chunks of soap, remove them and chop them small or grate them so they will melt. This only takes 3-5 minutes for the grated soap to melt.
3. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in 1/2 cup Borax and 1/2 cup Washing Soda (not to be confused with baking soda).
4. Continue stirring 3-4 minutes until everything is well blended. If you want to get really crazy you can use an immersion blender from your kitchen.
5. Put one gallon plus 8 cups hot water into the plastic bucket(the first time I measured the water into the bucket I used a permanent Sharpie pen to mark the water line so I never have to measure the water again.)
6. Carefully pour the soap mixture from the pot into the bucket and stir, stir, stir for 2 minutes or use the immersion blender again.
That's it! You're done. And you just saved yourself a whole lot of money. Let the mixture cool and stir it one more time before using the funnel to pour the detergent into one gallon milk bottles.
As the mixture sits it will separate. Don't fret, just pick up the jug when you are ready to add it to your washer and give it a good shake and it will mix up once again. Sometimes when I pour it the mixture seems a little gloppy but it works just like the store bought detergents.
Going chemical free,
Debbie
