Homemade doesn't have to be edible!

One of my biggest pet peeves is having to put a $20 tub of laundry detergent into my shopping cart, having to lug it home and having to pour out all of it into my laundry. I don't know why but that just bugs me and make me feel like I'm wasting my money. Money which could be used many many blocks of cheeses! ( just kidding, I've actually cut down my cheese fetish substantially!)  But seriously, money that could go towards a nice juicy steak or a pound of crab legs. I would much rather spend it on that instead. So my solution! Homemade laundry detergent! As with my first response, I'm sure all of you have a lot of questions or may be VERY leery about it.  Let me try to answer all the questions that have come up since I've been telling people that I use homemade laundry detergent.

Does it work?? YES! I tested a very stained old coat, amongst other things and it works great. If I have tough stains such as grease or chocolate,  (this actually happens quite a bit in my household)  I pour in a cap full of oxiclean (my stain buster of choice) and it gets the job done. We all do that anyways with regular detergent.

Does it smell good? YES! One of the best things about this type of detergent is that you get the choose your smell. Hobby Lobby and Wal Mart both have a great set of concentrated fragrance bottles to add to your detergent, which make your laundry and your laundry room smell magnificent!

Is it worth it? YES! I am maybe spending $4/month now on detergent. I don't even think it's that much because I haven't taken the time to do the math. As opposed to $20 previously. That's a savings of around $220 a year. Thats worth it to me!

Is it hard to make?? Not really. The hardest part is grating a bar of soap, your arm may get a little sore, but your working it out and your body will get use to it. The first few times I made it, my arm was a little sore but now I'm use to it.

Where can I find the ingredients? I have been able to find all the ingredients at the local Harps stores. Walmart does not carry all the ingredients (shame on you walmart).


So after all of that here is the final recipe. This makes a gell type of detergent. I use a cup per load. I have my good friend Brenda from work to thank for this recipe.


Homemade Laundry Detergent

1/2 bar of Zote soap, grated (found at harps)
1/2 c Borax (this can be found at Walmart but might as well buy at Harps since that's where everything else is)
1/2 c Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (not Baking soda but Washing soda, also found at harps)
1 bottle concentrated fragance (Walmart or Hobby Lobby)
5 gallon bucket (can be found at Lowe's or Home Depot type of stores)

Mix 4 cups of water with grated soap in pan. Heat until dissolved.

 Add Borax and Arm & Hammer washing soda. Boil 15 minutes. Watch very carefully so that it does not boil over and cause a mess. 

Pour into a 5 gallon bucket. Add hot tap water until the bucket is 3/4 full. Cover and leave alone for 24 hours.Then mix in 1 bottle concetrated fragrance.

Use 1 cup detergent for 1 large load of laundry. 

Dishwashing Detergent

Another great discovery lately is that two of the same ingredients I use for making laundry detergent can also be made for making dish detergent! 

Use 1 part washing soda for 1 part borax, mix between 1-2 tablespoons between both dispensers and  ese white vinegar as a rinse aid. I've found this to  work better than the leading dishwashing detergent and it saves even more money!! ENJOY!