Homemade Laundry Detergent

Yesterday I put a post on Facebook about how I made my own laundry detergent, and had a few people ask for the recipe.  I wanted to make sure it worked before I gave out any information.  I didn’t want a bunch of people buying the supplies and then it not work. I have done a few loads with it and it seems to work just fine. The recipe I used is for a powder detergent. If you want a recipe for liquid, this website http://www.icanteachmychild.com/2011/02/make-it-homemade-liquid-laundry-soap-1/ has a recipe for it. Here are the instruction for the powder laundry detergent.

2 Cups Borax- $3.38 for 76oz

2 Cups Arm and Hammer Washing Soda- $3.24 for 55oz

1 Fels Naptha laundry bar $0.97 (You can use Ivory soap instead. It is about $0.45 a bar)

All of the above items except the Ivory can be found on the laundry isle at Walmart.

You can get a $1 off of 3 Arm and Hammer laundry items on Arm and Hammer’s website. http://www.armandhammer.com/Resources/SavingsCenter.aspx

Here are the steps to making the detergent.

1. Shave down the bar soap. I used a cheese grater, but a food processor works well.
2. Measure out the powdered ingredients
3. Mix everything together in a container.

When doing laundry, I have used 1 Tablespoon per load. This has worked for me. Depending on how soiled your items are and what kind of water you have, the amount per load may differ.

I did the math, and it costs me $0.03 a load. I used the Fels Naptha laundry bar, but if you use the Ivory, it will cost you a little less per load.  Also, if you decide to do liquid detergent, it comes out to about $0.01 cent per load.