So as of late, I've seen a lot of "recipes" floating around the blog world & on Pinterest for making your own laundry detergent. I've wanted to try it for a while, but was a little leery for a few reasons.
I didn't want to make a batch that would fade my clothes... smell weird...
or just plain old waste my moo-lah! Ha!
So when my friend
Felecia told me about one that she made & was loving, I decided to give it a try! I'm SO happy I did! The batch is HUGE & should last me a year (or close to it).
It smells great, doesn't fade my clothes & was so inexpensive to make. Great combo dontcha think?!?
Here is where I will show you how to make it yourself! Yay :) Lucky you!
What you will need:
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| Yes, I realize the baking soda is upside down! The bottom was loose and I didn't want it to make a mess on my table! |
1 (4 lb 12 oz) Box of Borax- Found in the detergent aisle $3.27
1 (3 lb 7 oz) Box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda- Found in the detergent aisle $3.24
1 (3 lb) Container of OxyClean- Found in the detergent aisle. $7.52
2 (14.1 oz) Bars of Zote Soap- Found in the detergent aisle (we chose to do pink for the scent but the white would be just fine. You can also use Fels Naptha) $.97 cents each
1 (4 lb) Box of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda $2.12
1-2 (55 oz) Bottle of Purex Crystals Fabric Softener- Found in the detergent aisle (This is 100% optional, just makes the soap smell great!) $4.76
This all cost me only $22.85. I went to Target first to buy all my items (Because Wal-Mart is the devil), but they didn't have all the items on my list which is why I had to bite the bullet & drive across the street to Wal-Mart. I was not a happy camper, Ha. Wal-Mart here in Stockton is not a good experience... That is all I will say about that! Anywho... Back to the lovely soap... :)
I bought a clear 1 gallon jar to have out on my washer for about 5 dollars. This is obviously optional. I also mixed in a Rubbermaid container lined with a garbage bag for easy cleanup.
Your only step is to grate the bars of soap. You should do a fine grate, but after grating 1 bar, my grater was getting clogged and my hand was hurting so I did a bigger grate on the 2nd bar. I have not noticed a difference thus far. Now just mix it all together. I found that layering the ingredients helped in the mixing process. I did about 3 or 4 layers total and mixed after about 2 layers. I used a wooden mixing "fork" (not sure on correct name for it, ha). I finished in about 8 minutes total. So easy! I filled my pretty jar to set out on my washer & used the empty plastic containers & a couple large mason jars for the rest of the laundry detergent.
I normally will spend about $18.00 for 1 gallon of Tide & about $16/17.00 for 64 oz. of Mrs. Meyers Lavender scent detergent. I alternate between these two because I LOVE the Mrs. Meyers, but can't justify spending the money each shopping trip (am I the only one who thinks this?).
The home-made version is only $22.85 & is well over 3 gallons. I've been told that it will last me a good year or even two, depending on how much laundry I do (I do a LOT). A years worth of laundry detergent for just over 20 bucks, that is a huge savings!! Worth your while my friends... And, I forgot to mention that you only need 1-2 tablespoons for a load! AMAZING!
Hope you all enjoyed this post & give it a try. Until the next time...
Much Love,
Sarah
