Country Living for YOU!

January 29, 2013 by · 5 Comments

Just yesterday I decided that I needed to start making my own laundry detergent.  I called my dear sister and asked her what she did, since she had recently started making her own detergent (and of course because I want to be like my sister!).  Here is the ‘recipe’, and some insight and photos from my experience from this morning:

All of these ingredients can be found in the laundry aisle of your store…

Homemade Laundry Detergent

1 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda

1/2 cup Borax

1 bar of Fels-naptha soap

Directions:  Boil 4 cups of water and dissolve shredded bar of soap in it, stirring frequently.  Fill 5 gallon bucket 3/4 full, add powders and stir.  Add soap mixture to the bucket and stir, stir, stir….shake before each use.  Use 1/2 cup per load of laundry.

Grating the soap on my Gone With the Wind Plate…Mammy would be proud!

Now I am craving broccoli and cheese soup…

Added the powders…

STIR, STIR, STIR!

Then use all of the containers you have lying around to store it!  Now, get to making your own detergent!  It only took us about 30 minutes from start to finish and that included starting our first load of laundry!  Make sure you come back and tell me how it went for you!

Filed Under: Country Living, DIY, recipe, Sarea · Tagged With: ,
  • Becky

    is it less expensive? How does it smell?

  • Harmony

    Of course you want to be like me!! Lol
    It smells really good and costs like 3 dollars to make almost 5 gallons
    You only use 1/2 cup per load

  • TheBusyNothings

    I used essential oils when I made mine- but if you don’t it just smells kind of soapy. It’s like a penny a load or something and I used dryer sheets occasionally.

  • http://twitter.com/kidto3moms Sarea Clark

    It is very inexpensive, like 5-8 cents a load! Being like you …sigh….I don’t even know if it is possible, but a girl can dream, right? 😉

  • http://twitter.com/kidto3moms Sarea Clark

    It smells like soap, Madison said, “Mom, I love the way the laundry smells.” after we finished our first load…However, I don’t think it is overpowering.