Homemade Laundry Detergent

We go through A LOT of laundry at our house.  Actually it is a bit ridiculous and something that we are working on.  Laundry detergent is one of those things that we use so quickly I just couldn't stand spending a lot of money on it.  We have been making our own for a couple months and I am hooked.  

Here is what you will need:

3 cups borax

1 bar of soap (We use Dr. Bronner's Pure Castile soap in peppermint and lavender, but you can use whatever you have on hand)

2 cups washing soda (this can be found in the laundry section of the grocery store)

2 cups baking soda

A container big enough to hold it, we have this glass container that I love.  This container is big enough to allow us to triple the recipe, so of course yours does not need to be this big!

The first thing you need to do is grate the bar soap.   I suggest removing the bar of soap from it's  package and letting it sit out for at least an hour.  This will dry it out a bit and make it easier to grate.

Now all you need to do is mix the measured ingredients.  Use 2 tablespoons for an extra large load.  Yep, it is that easy!  

This recipe will give you 72 extra large loads of laundry.  From my (very rough) calculations it cost us about $4 to make.  Compared to Seventh Generation Powdered Detergent, we are saving about $15 each time we make this recipe!  

Here are some other laundry tips...

1. Instead of using fabric softener in your wash fill a downy ball half way with vinegar, and throw it in when you start the load.  This will leave your clothes feeling very soft.  If you do not have a downy ball just add about 1/4 cup of vinegar during the rinse cycle.  Don't worry, your clothes will not smell like vinegar, it all rinses out.

2. Instead of using fabric softener sheets in the dryer put 2 drops of essential oil on a washcloth and throw it in with your clothes.  This will give your clothes a little extra scent.  I have not tried this, because Sam and I have very sensitive skin and are very sensitive to smells.  The smell of the bar soap is plenty for me.

3. When drying anything heavy, such as towels or jeans hang them on a drying rack or a laundry line for a few hours, then throw them in the dryer until dry.  This will shorten the time you are running the dryer, but your clothes will still feel fresh from the dryer.  Win, win!  We have been doing this for about a year and noticed a drop in our electric bill!

I hope this helps!