In working to save the family money, and in an effort to cut down the use of unhealthy chemicals in our cleaning supplies, I bought some homemade laundry detergent from another MilSpouse. She has since moved away, but she gave me the recipe to make my own.
I have used up all of hers, and have been using my own for little over a month now. This detergent works just as well as any store bought. Clothes come out clean and smell fantastic. I have not had to deal with any stains, so I am not sure how this detergent works on hard to remove stains, so... I will have to keep y'all posted on that side of things.
Below is the recipe:
1 bar of soap (I used DIAL Spring Water)
1 C Borax
1 C Arm and Hammer Washing Soda.
In extra large pot, grate bar of soap. Mix in one gallon of water. Heat until soap is dissolved.
Mix in dry powders. Bring to boil (will coagulate.) Turn off heat. Mix in one gallon cold water. Mix well.
Pour into gallon jugs. Let sit for 48 hours. Shake before using as it will settle a little.
I made two batches and poured both into a five gallon bucket. Once it sat for 48 hours, I stirred the detergent well and poured some into a couple gallon jugs for easier handling. There was enough from two batches to fill four gallon jugs, with a couple cups left in the bucket.
***After a month of use, I have used one gallon of detergent. I use one half cap (saved from the store bought detergent) per large load of laundry. Absolutely love the stuff!!!***
