Make Your Own Laundry Detergent

I have been a pretty big fan of the Duggar's over the last few years. For those of you that don't know who the Duggar's are, they are a 2 parent family with 20 children, 1 daughter-in-law, and 1 grand-daughter. They have a show on TLC called 19 Kids and Counting. Of course with 20 kids, you need to be able to adapt, and one of those ways is saving money. The Duggar's have some great ideas on how to save money. Many of them are listed in their books and on their website. I have been using the Duggar's laundry detergent recipe for a little over 2 months now, and I love it! They have both a liquid and a powdered version, but I use the powdered version since it's simpler to make with such a busy lifestyle, and it works great for us.

Homemade Powdered Laundry Detergent
*For top load machines only.

Homemade Powdered Laundry Detergent

Yields: 3 cups (approximately 40 loads)

Ingredients:
- 1 bar of Fels Naptha soap
- 1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
- 1/2 cup Borax

Materials:
- airtight container for storage

Directions:
1) Grate the bar soap, or break it into pieces.

2) Run the pieces of bar soap through a food processor until it's powdered.

3) Mix the powdered bar soap with the washing soda and borax.

To Use:
Light load- 1 tablespoon
Heavily soiled load- 2 tablespoons

I was lucky enough to find all three of the ingredients at my Walmart. I got the Fels Naptha for $0.97 a bar, the Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda for $1.97, and the 20 Mule Team Borax for $2.98. I know you can find it some of the stuff cheaper, but I just got it where I found it. Anyway, based on these prices, you would only be paying $1.60 per 40 load batch. If you buy the bar soap by the case, you can get it as cheap as $0.45 a bar. At that price, you would only be paying $1.44 per 40 load batch. Either way, this powdered detergent is very powerful and super inexpensive. I also bought a small plastic container at Walmart for $2.19 for storing my detergent.


Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent
*For front or top load machines.

Yields: 10 gallons (approximately 180 loads for top load machines and 640 loads for front load machines)

Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent

Ingredients:

- 4 cups hot tap water

- 1 bar of Fels Naptha soap

- 1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
- 1/2 cup Borax

Materials Needed:
- saucepan
- 5 gallon bucket
- old laundry detergent bottle (rinsed clean)

Directions:
1) Grate the bar of soap and add it to a saucepan with the water.

2) Stir continuously over medium-low heat until the soap dissolves and is completely melted.

3) Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full with hot tap water. Add the melted soap, washing soda, and Borax.

4) Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill the bucket to the top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let it sit overnight to thicken.

5) Stir the detergent the following morning. Fill a clean laundry detergent bottle half full with the laundry soap. Fill the rest of the way with water.

6) Shake before each use (the mixture will gel).

*Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add after the soap has cooled. You can use lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil, etc.

To Use:
Top Load Machines- 5/8 cup per load (will yield approximately 180 loads)
Front Load Machines- 1/4 cup per load (will yield approximately 640 loads)

I was lucky enough to find all three of the ingredients at my Walmart for my powdered detergent. I got the Fels Naptha for $0.97 a bar, the Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda for $1.97, and the 20 Mule Team Borax for $2.98. I know you can find it cheaper, but I just got it where I found it. Anyway, based on these prices, you would only be paying $1.60 per 180-640 load batch. If you buy the bar soap by the case, you can get it as cheap as $0.45 a bar. At that price, you would only be paying $1.29 per 180-640 load batch. I've heard amazing things about this liquid laundry detergent. I'm hoping that the next time I have some free time, I'll be able to make this liquid version and try it out. I know Amy plans on making this once she runs out of the stuff she has now.

Posted in: DIY,Laundry,Living Green,Saving Money,Thrifty