How I am a SAHM: Homemade Laundry Detergent

When I wanted to stay home, we took a really close look at our finances to see what we spent the most on, what could be eliminated, etc. and realized that even with coupons, we still spent quite a bit of money on laundry detergent. We then decided to try making our own and it has worked out great! This post is to show you how we do it!

Recipe:

2 quarts water (boiling)

4 cups bar soap (grated) (We use Fels-Naptha, Zote or Ivory.)

4 cups borax

4 cups washing soda

 

You can find all of these ingredients in the laundry detergent aisle at your store. The soap is around $1 and the Borax and washing soda are $2-$4 each (in East Tennessee, anyway!).

 

1. Finely grate the bar soap. Add the soap to the boiling water and stir until it is melted.

 

You have to be patient during this step. This takes a while! I would also recommend having utensils just for making your detergent. You probably don't want to grate your cheese with your soap grater or make chicken noodle in this pot:

 

 

2. Pour the soap water into a five gallon bucket and add the borax and washing soda. Stir well until all is dissolved.

3. Add 4 gallons of water, stir until well mixed.

 

We went to Lowe's and bought this 5-Gallon Paint and Compound Mixer for $5. It attaches to my husband's drill and makes mixing very easy.

 

 

4. Cover pail and use 1/4 cup for each load of laundry.

 

After mixing, I put some of my laundry detergent in a juice bottle. This way, when I need to wash, I can just shake it up, pour into my measuring cup and into my washing machine.

 

Also, you can dissolve a bottle of Downy Unstoppables (add when you are dissolving the bar soap) or your favorite oil to give your detergent a scent if you would like.

For all the cloth diaper mommies, know that this recipe has worked great for us. I have to do an occasional sunning for the EBF poop, but my diapers stay very clean and I have had no trouble with build-up.

 

Please know that this detergent is different from what you are used to. It does not make foamy bubbles. It is not smooth and beautiful blue. The liquids and solids separate so you have to shake it up before you use it. That being said, we really have learned to love it and our clothes are clean, so overall, we are happy!