Homemade Laundry Detergent

Yeah, I know...why would you want to make your own laundry detergent?  I remember the funny reactions of others when I told them I was going to start making my own laundry soap.  Everyone responded with a strange tone of "why?"  I have to admit that I had a slightly similar reaction when my dear friend told me she made her own laundry soap, but after thinking through it and doing my own research, it just made sense to me. Our washer used to have a funky smell that I couldn't seem to get rid of, no matter what I tried.  The smell completely disappeared after switching to homemade soap.  Our clothes smell amazingly clean and feel so soft. I don't need to use the extra rinse cycle like I used to with store bought soap, and we don't have to pay the high price of soap that I think is "acceptable" to use on my families clothes.  It is only after about six months of using this soap that I began to realize so many problems were caused by the unnecessary chemicals and leftover residue that is nearly impossible to escape when using store bought soap.  Just to test out my theory, or really just to prove to my hubby that this stuff really works and solved so many of my laundry issues, I started using a store bought Free and Clear hypoallergenic laundry soap.  It didn't take long for our washer to start smelling funny again and the clothes to need that extra rinse cycle.   I'm back to using my homemade version!  I encourage you to give it a try!  It makes sense for the wallet and for the overall care of your clothes.  I should mention that our water is very hard, and this recipe works great for us.

Now on to the tutorial:
This tutorial gives the recipe for about 6 1/2 cups of powdered detergent.  You could easily double, triple, quadruple, whatever works for you.  There are many recipes out there for the liquid version, but that takes much more time, larger containers, and can cause the drain line of your washer to clog.  The powdered version works best for most. 

Ingredients:  
2 bars of laundry soap.
I use two bars of Fels Naptha most of the time.  If Dr. Bronner's Pure-Castile Soap is on sale, I will add that, too.  I typically buy the tea tree oil blend or the peppermint blend.  Two bars of Fels Naptha work just as well, though.

2 cups of Borax

2 cups of Washing Soda

About 1 teaspoon of tea tree oil

Containers to hold it when you are done

Here's what you do!

Step 1:  Grate the bars of soap with a cheese grater.

Step 2:  Transfer the soap to a food processor and blend.

It is done when the soap looks very fine...almost like powder :)

Step 3:   Add 2 cups of Washing Soda

Step 4:  Add 2 cups of Borax

Step 5:  Stir until all ingredients are combined well.

Step 6:  Add the tea tree oil and continue to stir until mixed in well.

Step 7:  Transfer to your container.

I use 1 tablespoon per load.  I will use about 1 1/2 or 2 tablespoons if it is an extra dirty load, but the majority of my loads take 1 tablespoon.  Just start the washer, add the soap, and then add the clothes!  It is that simple :)

I am a super germ freak and want things to be extra clean...the kind who used to use bleach in the load whenever possible.  So, naturally, I made the mistake of adding more than the tablespoon recommendation when I first started out and quickly found out that it is too much.  A little really does go a LONG way with this soap.  If you are like me, you will watch the first few loads as they agitate in the washer.  There will not, and should not be a ton of suds, in fact there are hardly any bubbles.  This is a GOOD thing.  Those old bubbles leave behind the bad stuff in your clothes and washer.  Give it a try and let me know how your clothes turned out!  I hope you notice the difference I noticed.

~Briana

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