Homemade Laundry Detergent

I've been waiting to tell you how this worked for us and I can now let you know that I LOVE USING HOMEMADE LAUNDRY DETERGENT!

I was pretty sure that I would but I didn't want to say anything out loud - just in case. I'm still working on how much cheaper it'll be in the long run but already it's more fun and we're better at portion control per load than we were with store bought detergent.

If you've never thought about making your own detergent, really, consider it. It's super easy and it's good for you and your clothes. This way you can control what is in your detergent. I'm sensitive to scents and perfumes and this way I KNOW that my clothes aren't going to smell like anything that will make me sneeze. Also, this detergent doesn't suds a lot which is perfect for HE and front loading washing machines.

Here's the recipe I used, which I got from Jenn at Frugal Upstate:

1 Cup Grated Soap - I use Fels Naptha
1/2 C Washing Soda - Arm & Hammer makes the brand I found
1/2 Cup Borax

Mix together and use 1 Tablespoon per load. I did add some Oxi-Clean to each load as I finds that it helps with our toddler stains.

Here's the link to Jenn's laundry detergent video at Frugal Upstate what walks you through the process on how to make laundry detergent it in the food processor - which is exactly what I did.

For years I noticed that my local Kroger carried Fels Naptha and that's where I bought it last summer when I made my first homemade batch of detergent. This weekend when I needed another bar I noticed that my store no longer carries this product so I went to Soaps Gone Buy and found that it was on sale for $0.99 - so I stocked up!

The Fels Naptha will be the most expensive part of the recipe - at $0.99 at bar sale price or $1.75 retail - as this will make one batch. I have plenty of the other left in the boxes of washing soda and borax and might not have to buy any more for the rest of the year.

So just how far did I get on one batch of detergent? Just about 2 months. Personally, I think that's pretty good for a family of four that includes 2 toddlers. I probably do about five loads of laundry a week on average. I'll keep better track this next time and let you know but it's still a pretty Cool Idea!