Saving Big On Laundry!!

Homemade Laundry Soap

I get very mixed reviews when I tell people that I make my own laundry detergent. My husband and I actually started making detergent because of his sensitivity to laundry detergents. With his sensitivity, I was concerned that my children might also have it and wanted to prevent them from undergoing any unneeded skin irritation. Turns out that it is dang cheap to do and saves us big. With this recipe you can do laundry for about $10 a year.

So this is what you need:

1. 
   
   Arm and Hammer Washing Soda 2.29(NOT baking soda!!!!) I buy it at Publix butAce hardware carries it and most grocery store.


2. 
   
   Borax 2.99. You can get it at Target, Publix just about anywhere with laundry products.


3. 
   
   Bar Laundry Soap .99. I use Fels-Naptha. I buy it at Publix. You can get it at most Grocery stores in the laundry section. I would also recommend Castle bar soap( $3.00-4.00) for an even more green option. I am going to try the Lavendar next time I make a batch.


4. 
   
   Large bucket


5. 
   
   Sauce Pan


6. 
   
   Grader(I use my box cheese grader)


7. 
   
   Water


8. 
   
   Large long handle spoon

Here are the steps:

1. 
   
   Grad 1/3 bar of soap.Heat 4 cups water and graded bar soap in sauce pan over medium heat and stir untill disolved.


2. 
   
   Fill large bucket with 3 gallons of water.


3. 
   
   Add water with dissolved bar soap to bucket. Add 1/2 Borax and 1/2 cup washing soda. Stir until dissolved and it start to thickens some. You will be stirring for a few minutes.


4. 
   
   Let sit over night.

I use 1/2 cup a load in our high efficiency washer. You will need more in older models.

I would estimate it cost $.02 a load at the most.

These products I use are biodegradable and environmentally friendly and have been around for literally 100 years. It is what your great grandmothers used to do laundry.