Homemade Laundry Detergent

Homemade Laundry Detergent

This laundry detergent uses a handful of ingredients and is a huge money saver for my home.

Ingredients:
1 finely grated bar lotion free soap like Fels Naptha or Octagon or your favorite scented soap
1/2 c each Washing Soda and Borax
Warm or Hot tap water
If you want you can also add your favorite essential oil for added fragrance

Fill a 1 gallon stock pot with tap water and place on you stove and turn it medium heat.  Add the grated soap and begin to stir occasionally until the soap water reaches a gentle simmer.  Once a gentle simmer has been reached begin stirring the soap water to help the grated soap thoroughly dissolve into the water.

While dissolving the soap, gently pour the washing soda and borax into a clean 5 gallon bucket that has a lid (being careful to not inhale the powdery dust).  At this point I use my hands and break up the dry powders if they have any clumps in them.  Doing this now helps the powders dissolve and mix well later.

Once the powders are mixed and no longer clumpy and the soap has dissolved into the simmering water,  Pour the soap water slowly and gently into the bucket while being sure to keep your face away from the steam and dust, (I hold my breath and turn my head away from the steam cloud).   Gently and thoroughly mix this solution well with a long handled spoon.  While mixing, slowly turn your hot water faucet on and begin to slowly fill the bucket.  If you turn your faucet on too much it will splash when it hits the solution, potentially causing injury, and/or cause bubbles to form. 

Fill the bucket until it is nearly full.  Stir well one last time to ensure all is mixed.  At this point you can add your chosen fragrance oil.  Cover and let stand in a area away from children and pets for 24 hours. 

After 24 hours you need to stir the mixture well.  It will be slimy and gel like.  Just stir it well and it will be ready to use. 

For use I pour it into a reusable beverage container that I didn't use in the kitchen, you can use any plastic container that has a tight fitting lid like washing detergent, fabric softener bottles, or even milk jugs.  What ever container you use, make sure it is clean before filling.  (To make it easy for filling,  I use a 1 cup measure and funnel.)   Give the container a good shake before each use.

Use 1/2 c per large load of laundry.  It will not suds in the washer, DON'T WORRY!  I have done my research and have found that just because a soap does no suds does not mean it is not cleaning.  The sudsing aspect is just a visual affect that we have came accustomed to seeing from commercial cleaners. 

Congratulations you have made enough laundry detergent to last approximately 160 loads of laundry.  If your laundry is not badly soiled you can even cut you detergent in half, only using 1/4 c per load, literally doubling the number of loads of laundry you can do per batch.

Cost break down.  I have not measured, but others have and from what several other people have figured out, Your Home Made laundry detergent will cost approximately 1 cent per load.  Going on this rate-  1- 160 load batch of laundry detergent will cost you about $1.60.  That is less that $2 for laundry detergent!!!!  WOW!

Feel free to play with the recipe-  I have many times and it always cleans my clothes.  Just remember:  Don't worry if it does not suds and don't worry if it does not gel.  Your soap has to do with the sudsing and gelling.