For well over two years now I have been making my own
laundry detergent. Not only did I find it to be cheaper, but it has been more
effective at making my whites white and my clothes cleaner and softer.
When I was pregnant with my daughter, I wanted to cut
corners and save as much money as I could before she was born, and after realizing
that I spent so much money on laundry detergent for just 2 people I couldn’t
imagine how much laundry I would do with two people and a new baby (holy hell
spit up and blow out diapers!)
So of course, being the money conscience person I am, I sat
down and did the math one day. A 150 oz. jug of Tide that did 96 loads costs $17.97.
That’s 19 cents a load! After that minor sticker shock, I started researching (Pinterest
of course!) for an easy to follow recipe for laundry detergent that was HE
compatible since we just bought a front load washer.
I came across some that had you ordering things from
websites and “only can get at such and such specialty store”, and that just wouldn’t
work for me. I wanted to be able to walk into my local Wal-Mart and get items
readily there on the shelf. So I took a few recipes that I liked and came up
with my own.
Homemade Laundry Detergent
Items you will need:
Big pot
Grater
2 clean gallon jugs
Funnel
Whisk/Slotted Spoon (your choice)
1 cup measuring cup
A bar of your favorite soap (or a bar of Fels-Naptha)
Borax Detergent Booster
Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (NOT BAKING SODA!)
Original Blue Dawn Dish Soap
Directions:
Grate the bar of soap and put into the pot (I usually grate the soap
right in the pot)
Fill one gallon jug with warm water and pour over grated soap
Over medium – high heat on your stove, whisk the soap water mixture
until grated soap is dissolved
Once the grated soap is gone, mix in 1 cup of Borax and 1 cup of
Washing Soda
Stir until dissolved and then turn off heat
Let mixture cool for about 20 minutes
Once cool, stir in ¾ cup of Dawn.
Fill gallon jug with cold water and stir in
Using the funnel pour into your gallon jugs (the bubble will overflow
out of the jug).
Directions for use:
Shake Well
Use ½ cup per load
No this isn't cheese. This is what my grated Dove white bar soap looks like.
My finished product :)
When I was getting ready to make my first batch, I drove right to
Wal-Mart and wouldn’t you know they had Borax, Washing Soda, and Fels-Naptha
all right together on the shelf in the laundry detergent aisle. It’s like the
Wal-Mart Gods knew I was nervous about scouring the aisles hunting down these
items and they felt sorry for me.
However, once I picked up the Fels-Naptha bar I knew that my husband
was not going to like the smell. His nose is very finicky and he can’t stand
certain smells. So I decided to try his favorite bar soap, Dove White, to see
if that would work. And amazingly, it did! He loves the smell and even comments
on how good the house smells when I am making a batch.
Now for the savings. For a bar of the white Dove soap, it was $1. The Borax
in a 76 oz. box was $3.97. Arm & Hammer Washing Soda box of 55 oz. was
$3.24. And a 38 oz. bottle of blue original Dawn was $3.97. After calculating
how much per “whatnot” it tallied down to 5 cents per load! I was ecstatic!
After making a couple of batches it has become repetitious to make and
I do not have to have the recipe right next to me each time I make it. It’s
become almost second nature; kinda like that grandma that adds a dash of this
and a pinch of that and can make any dish with her eyes closed. Well I am
almost like that.
A few times I have added different things to see if it made any
difference. One time I added Oxy Clean to be stronger but I didn’t notice a
difference. Another time I changed up
the Dawn dish soap for scent factor only. Try what works best for you. I do
know there are some “no grating” recipes out there. But for some reason, I just
like the fact of another soap being a cleaning power that I continue with
grating my Dove soap.
This recipe is not the best recipe, but it’s what works for my family.
I enjoy knowing that I don’t have to lug home a huge jug of laundry detergent
every few weeks when making my own lasts for months. If you have a recipe for
laundry detergent, please share with me. I am always playing around with my
recipe and welcome and new ideas.
My next venture is trying a recipe for laundry softener. Wish me luck!
