Homemade Laundry Detergent

I love making my own laundry detergent. Both of my girls have very sensitive skin and eczema, so mild detergent is a must. However, commercial baby detergent is crazy expensive, especially when you do 2-3 loads of laundry each day. The recipe and method I’m going to share with you is so easy! All of the ingredients are available at the local buy everything you need and ever wanted store. The recipe yields 2 gallons of detergent for $0.75.  I did some math…ouch… and found that it cost me a half cent in laundry detergent per load. What?!! That is a great exchange right there. I love making this stuff with the kids too because there’s water measuring and stirring so they can easily participate. Plus, I’m engraining creative frugality into their little minds as wellJ

What you’ll need:

-borax ($3.38/box)

-washing soda (not baking soda…two very different things)($3.24/box)

-fels naptha laundry bar soap (you can substitute ivory bar soap) ($.97/bar)

-a few empty 1 gallon milk jugs or several old liquid detergent containers

-a large container or bucket that holds at least 2gallons (I use the top to a Rubbermaid cake plate)

-a funnel

-a mixer or immersion blender

Here is the recipe:  1/2c borax + 1/2c washing soda+ 1/3 bars fels naptha + 2gal water

I know, it sounds cheap and easy already…

Step one:

Grate 1/3 bar of soap into a pot. Add the borax, soda and 6c of water. Cook over medium heat until all ingredients are dissolved.

Step two:

Add 4c of hot water to your large bucket or container. Pour in the dissolved mixture and stir.

Step three:

Add 1 gallon plus 6 more cups of water and stir. Let sit for 24 hours.

Step four:

The mixture will turn into a solid gelatinous mass…fun to squish! Use electric mixer or immersion blender to break up the mass and achieve a “goopy liquid” consistency. It should be a little thicker than normal liquid detergent.  

Step 5:

Use the funnel to pour the detergent into washed out milk jugs or old laundry soap containers.

That’s it! Simply use ½ cup/ load or 1c for heavily soiled loads. This stuff smells wonderful, light floral and citrus notes. It makes a great gift for new moms: add a bow and a cute card with the recipe and you’ll have the most unique gift at the baby shower for less than a dollar! Happy detergent making!