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So in the interest of saving money and healthy living I decided to make a few of our cleaning products out of natural and inexpensive products. The first thing I tried was laundry detergent which turned out AWESOME! It was pretty simple too.
It is one of those things where when you tell people, "Oh yeah I made laundry detergent today.." They are like "What! How did you do that!" It sounds way more impressive than it is.
All you need is Borax, Washing Soda (but I used baking soda because I couldnt find washing soda ANYWHERE!) and a bar of a hard soap. I used a organic lemon verbena soap from Whole Foods. borax and baking soda are dirt cheap so you can make a lot of detergent for not a lot of money.
I found the Borax at Target and you can get a huge bag of baking soda which I plan to do next time we go :)You can buy your soap anywhere I just happened to get mine at Whole Foods.
First you want to grate your soap..I just used my cheese grater and used very short strokes so it would be in very small pieces. Afterward I just washed it in super hot water. It worked really well. I also put down a paper towel to grate the soap into so I can use it as a funnel.
Then just mix together 1 cup of the soap flakes, 1/2 cup for borax, and 1/2 cup of baking soda (or washing soda if you find it). Mix it well. I just used a spoon and it worked fine.
You only need 2 tbsp per load of laundry! I am a chronic detergent over user, so I use a little more for a large load but you still don't need a lot.
Here's to the very first Make Do Monday :)
ali <3
LOVE this!!! I am so trying it when I run out of detergent. Does the bar soap need to be really fine when you grate it? Maybe I could put it in my food processor???
ReplyDeleteHave you washed a load of laundry with it yet? How did you feel about it's smell/ stain removal? I would love to try this!
ReplyDeleteHey guys! Yeah it works great! I haven't tried getting out tough stains yet but you can always add a little extra borax if you need some extra oomp! You can use any smell you want..you can also add essential oil to scent it. The soap doesn't have to be super fine, the cheese grater worked well. You might be able to use your food processor but I've heard that it can get stopped up if your soap is too moisturizing..that's why you want to use a harder soap. It could be a bit of a pain to clean but who's knows!
ReplyDeleteI've been meaning to do this for so long! Thanks for the instructions
ReplyDeleteThanks. This has been on my list to do but haven't done it. Thanks for the post and inspiration!
ReplyDeleteSebastopol Hardware has washing soda!!!! ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm interested in trying this but I only wash in cold water. Will it work with cold water?
ReplyDeleteOnly place I know that sells washing soda is Costco. But like Ali I have always used the baking soda with wonderful results. Will try the scented soap...great tip. Love Fels Napha but getting harder and harder to find.
ReplyDeleteblessings,
jilly
ps. new follower thanks to and then she saved
I've been using this (and liking the results) for about six months. I like to wash in cold, too, so I start the load on warm (or hot, if it's not coming out very warm) sans clothes. I let it agitate for a few minutes to dissolve the hard soap (Zote) and then add more cold water and the clothes.
ReplyDeleteSo, how does the cost of this compare to store-bought detergent? We buy detergent at Costco, their Kirklands brand, and they have a more eco-friendly detergent offering that's like 13 bucks for quite a lot of loads of laundry (they say 110, but in real use probably 90+).
ReplyDeleteSo basically, how does this stuff compare in terms of cost per load? And while there aren't some other chemicals in it. what are the environmental profiles of borax and washing soda?
I made my own detergent using 1 cup 20 Mule Team Borax, 1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (local Oregon grocery store Fred Meyer carried both items), and a grated bar of Ivory soap. It really only takes 1 TBSP per load. I start the washer on hot water, add the soap, turn to warm or cold water, and throw in the laundry. It works great!
ReplyDeleteHi Ali!
ReplyDeleteI've been meaning to introduce myself. I'm Anna over at And Then She Saved.com. LOVE this recipe!
Great stuff!
It costs about 2-3 cents per load for most of these homemade detergents rather than at least 9 cents for generic laundry detergent (Great Value) and Tide, etc is even more. Plus it's green! Over a year it's worth saving $50-$100 plus it's kinda fun/rewarding. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recipe for the detergent. I just have one question. Do you use your detergent with an high efficency washer?
ReplyDelete