The poor home/nature blog has been neglected. I have been busy shooting many of the Kentucky men's basketball home games at Rupp Arena. Click
here if you want to check out some shots of the number one team in the nation. Go Cats!
With a family of 8, I am always looking for creative ways to save a few pennies. I came across a recipe for homemade laundry detergent a few months ago, but never got around to trying it. Well today the planets aligned and I have now successfully made my first batch of diy detergent. I combined tips from several different places including: Duggar Family Recipes, Fabulessly Frugal and Tipnut.
The ingredients were all readily available at my local Kroger and the whole process took less than a half an hour. As an added bonus, the house smells like I have been cleaning all day. ;) I also like that this should eliminate the need to wash my daughter's clothes separately due to her sensitive skin and allergies. She enjoyed helping me with the process. It was much easier than I expected.
Here is what you need to get started:
I followed this recipe, but chose to use an additional small bottle of All 3X free and clear detergent based on information I read. Some users were adding an oxy booster for white laundry loads and others did not like how the detergent would gel after sitting (gloppy). This was given as a solution to both of those problems. At less than $4 a bottle, I decided it wouldn't hurt. If you do not like the scent or have sensitive skin, Ivory can be used in place of the Fels-Naptha soap.
Next grate the bar soap and add it to 4 cups of hot tap water in a saucepan. I shaved off chunks with a knife and used my food processor until crumbled, others suggested using a cheese grater. You can microwave the bar for a few seconds first to soften (ETA: I tried this when making the powdered recipe and found it to be much easier).
Stir over medium-low heat until the soap is melted.
Now you will need a 5 gallon bucket. Fill the bucket half full with hot tap water. Add the melted soap mixture, Borax and washing soda. I also added in the bottle of All at this point (Some have suggested adding this after the mixture has set up overnight. I am guessing it would get more of a gel consistency. I would try this next time since my mixture did not gel at all and seemed a bit too watery.) Mix well until all powder is dissolved. Fill the bucket to the top with more tap water. Stir once again. Most recipes say to cover and let sit overnight to thicken. You will then fill an old detergent bottle or other container half full with the mixture and half full with water. Using this method, the recipe will yield 10 gallons of liquid detergent.
After reading comments from several moms, I decided I was not going to dilute the mixture. I cleaned and filled a large container we had waiting for recycling and several other empty detergent bottles. I like the fresh scent as is, but you can also add essential oils once the detergent has cooled.
For less than the cost of 1 bottle of Tide, I was able to make 5 gallons of homemade detergent and still have extra supplies for future batches!
-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads if diluted)
-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads if diluted)
You can add a cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle to soften and brighten clothes, eliminating the need for fabric softener.
If you are short on storage space or prefer a powdered laundry soap, check out this great tutorial from
The Thrifty Couple.
ETA: Since I had extra supplies, I decided to try the above powdered soap recipe to see which method works best for our family. It was even easier than the liquid and I love that it can be stored in just a coffee can. I added an additional 1/2 c. of Sun Oxygen cleaner (found at Family Dollar-very inexpensive). I think all of these homemade recipes require a little trial and error. Don't give up! There are lots of cost-effective options if one method or ingredient doesn't work for your family's needs.
There is an alternative recipe that uses Purex powdered detergent instead of bar soap. You can find it at
The Saved Quarter.
Yesterday I found a great recipe for homemade fabric softener over at
Fabulessly Frugal. I had been adding a cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle of each load with surprisingly good results. The clothes were soft and there was no vinegar scent like I would have expected. This recipe is a variation, adding hair conditioner to vinegar and hot water. I chose Suave Ocean Breeze because it has a fresh, clean scent. I prefer a little scent, but if you do not, vinegar works well on its own.
Good luck and let me know if you try this at home and how it works for you!
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