Friday, January 29, 2010

Homemade Laundry Detergent


Something that I've been doing for a while now to save money is making my own laundry soap. This really is such a great way to effectively clean clothes very cheaply. It is so easy to throw together and simple to use. All it is is this:

1 part Fels Naptha laundry bar soap
2 parts Borax
2 parts washing soda

What I do is grate one whole bar of Fels Naptha~ it comes out to be about 2 cups~ into a plastic container and add 4 cups each Borax and washing soda and mix it up. (I've also been adding powdered Clorox 2 to the mix just because I have it but that's completely optional. You could also add a few drops of essential oil for scent if you like. )

To do one large load of laundry, I sprinkle in a few tablespoons. That's really all it takes! In fact, I keep a metal 1/3 C. measuring spoon in the container and fill the cup about about half full to wash 1 large load.
I found this "recipe" in one of the cloth diaper forums, back while I was pregnant with Josh, in a thread about saving money. And save money it does! All the ingredients together cost about $9 for 3 batches, and considering I get about 60 wash loads per batch, that comes out to about $0.05 per load.




3 comments:

kidfamily said...

Where do you get the ingredients? I really must find out. I should have known, of all the ladies I know, you are sooooooo ingenius.
You are a precious blessing.
Love you,
Nancy

Mandie said...

Hi Nancy!

You can find all of the ingredients at King Soopers, although the Borax is cheaper at Walmart. Hope you have a great weekend!

Love,
Mandie

kidfamily said...

I did it, I made my own laundry soap, thanks to you. It is amazingly easy and economical and IT GETS the CLOTHES really CLEAN. I am not alergic, and they smell fresh. Oh I am beyond excited and I just LOVE you for posting this. I had fun grating and mixing and now using the soap. I have found a gazillion uses for the borax too. Simply amazing. Did I tell you how pleased I am?
Nancy

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