Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Economical Laundry Detergent

With they way many things in our everyday life have changed, cost of gas, rising costs on food organic and non organic, clothing costs rising due to cotton prices rising and everyday household cleaners and detergents, my family has made many efforts in cutting back in every way that we can. One of those ways is making our own laundry detergent. I would like to share our detergent recipe with you and hopefully you will give it a try!!! 


Homemade Laundry Soap

Ingredients:
4  Cups - hot tap water
1  Fels-Naptha soap bar (you may also use Ivory, Sunlight, Kirk's Hardwater Castile or any other stain removal bar. Don't use heavily perfumed soaps)
1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*
½ Cup Borax
1- 5 Gallon Bucket

 1.) Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.
















  

2.) Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken (will gel and you will have to mix before each use).



































3.) After you have let the mixture set over night, stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)
 
***Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.
*Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.
*Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)
*Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)
**Arm & Hammer "Super Washing Soda" -  Baking Soda will not work, nor will Arm & Hammer Detergent - It must be sodium carbonate!!

Personally I do not add the extra water into the used laundry soap dispenser because I like the added kick that my loads get with the more concentrated detergent. I also use this laundry soap for my son's cloth diapers. I know most sites tell you not to use a stain remover such as a stain bar because on the residue issue but we have not had any problems with it. As far as the ***optional part, I personally love the smell of the detergent without any extra add-ons but when I am washing a load of diapers I do add 2 full droppers of tea tree oil as it is a natural antiseptic/disinfectant. I really hope you try this detergent, I along with my entire family loves it and I will never go back to store bought detergent for my personal family use!!!

~Rachelle

29 comments:

  1. Funny, I have been looking into making home made detergent too and came across this recipe (they are all pretty similar). Just waiting to run out of the detergent we already have to start using it!

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  2. This is awesome! I didn't know it was so easy!

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  3. Love this = can't wait to try once I find the washing soda, seriously can't find it anywhere!

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  4. I have found it at Walmart of all places...lol...

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  5. i have been making this for over a year and LOVE it!

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  6. I've actually been looking for a good homemade soap! Thank you for posting this. Can this soap be used for cloth diaper laundry or only regular laundry?

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  7. I can't find the fels-naptha anywhere here! I know I can use others but this is the one I've heard the best things about!

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  8. Thank you so much for the photos- I have been a little intimidated but this makes it seem a little easier!

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  9. I am glad the pictures help! I am a very visual person so when I read something I tend to understand it better with pictures!!! I will always post pictures when they are available to me!!!

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  10. Thanks for the tutorial. I've been wanting to make my own detergent, but preferably powder.

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  11. I love this recipe! We added 1/2 C Baking Soda as a water softener in our hard water. That's the best part! You can customize for your own water!

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  12. Thanks for the recipe...is this safe to use on cloth diapers? I have heard that you are not supposed to use arm and hammar on the cloth because it can build up?

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  13. Perfect! I was looking for a recipe. I need to make some detergent this weekend without fail... It'll be the first time I make it :)

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  14. I've read that borax isn't the kindest detergent ingredient for cloth diapers... Anyone else?

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  15. YES you can use this detergent on your cloth diapers!!! I did state in the blog that some sites recommend not using some of these products, that you use to make the detergent, on cloth diapers but from PERSONAL experience I have not had any issues using this detergent on pocket diapers, covers and prefolds. I have also washed in hard water and soft water. Every site is different as far as listing good and bad products to use on diapers. Borax will help whiten and remove odors as well at the Fels-Naptha. So if you do not want to use bleach or "harsh" chemicals like that you should consider this detergent. I have been washing my own clothes and my sons cloth diapers with this detergent for 2 years so I think that is an awesome amount of time to be judging whether or not it will "hurt" your cloth diapers. And technically ALL detergents leave residue, it is just a matter of how much residue it leaves (based on what is in the detergent) and how many times you are rinsing your diapers. There is a powder version of this detergent that I can post at a later date (once I have tried it). I will also post where you can order the Fels-Naptha bars!

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  16. Thank you for the wonderful recipe! We have been taking steps to live more frugaly and one of the things I've considered is making our own Laundry Detergent. I have this saved in my favorites, now just need to find a 5 Gallon Bucket hehe.

    Do you make your own Dishwasher Detergent too? I'd really love to see a handmade version of that, gets very expensive.

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  17. Great idea! I never really thought about making my own before. Thanks!

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  18. This is a great post. Thank you for the pictures. They really help alot.

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  19. LOVE this, never thought to make my own laundry soap. Plus, I love all the photos... helps a lot!!

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  20. This is fabulous! I need to try this recipe, as I've been consistently dissatisfied with commercial detergents. Thank you!

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  21. i make my own detergent too! Mine is about the same as this. :)

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  22. Ive always wanted to try and make my own detergent! I will have to try this!

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  23. I'd like to start making my own detergent. Thanks for sharing your recipe. =)

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  24. Thanks for sharing!!! I am definitely trying this out.

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  25. i cant wait to try this detergen thanks for the receipr

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  26. Yes Lindsay, it is! I have been using on my son's cloth diapers and LOVE it, I have also been using it for my regular clothes!!! We love it! I will be posting a powder version next week!

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  27. Thank you! I have tried a few different recipes and always feel like they have a weird smell or texture - I will have to try this! Very excited it is cloth diaper friendly!

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  28. Thanks for sharing. It seems so simple and I'm sure I could save a lot of money this way. I just need to figure out where I can buy washing soda. I never see it anywhere.

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  29. thank you so much i tried another recipe and i didnt really care for it and was about to give up on on home made laundry but i'll try this i hope i'll love it as much as you do !

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