Homemade Laundry Detergent

We have been making our own laundry detergent for 2 months now. I spent $6 for the supplies. This week I just bought dryer sheets. $4.55 for 180 sheets. It is cheaper than softener in the wash. You get the same results from a large box of generic as you do a more expensive name brand. I do like using softener sheets. It gives a nice fresh smell. The homemade laundry detergent doesn't give a scent. It does however clean really well. We haven't had a problem for pennies a load we wash our clothes and get them clean. We've saved a lot!

There are a lot of recipes on line if you google homemade laundry detergent.

I use the following:
Shave 1 bar of basic (no scent) soap into a pan and add some water and melt.
1/2 cup Borax is a naturally occurring mineral: Sodium Borate. It is a white powder. It’s purpose is as a laundry whitener and deodorizer.
1 cup Washing Soda: This is not baking soda. They are not the same thing. Washing soda is sodium carbonate or soda ash (baking soda is sodium bicarbonate). It is a white powder. Its purpose is to help remove dirt and orders. The brand I use is Arm & Hammer Washing Soda.


Put all in a 5 gal (some recipes us 10gal with same ingredients) I can't carry it.
So put in a 5 gal container and fill up with hot water. More concentrated already than 10 gal.
Stir and it will get gooey.

I then put it into several old laundry detergent bottles I saved. Its convenient. You can just take out of the 5 gal tub if you want. When I use it I shake container first to mix. Or stir tub with a stick first. Then use a cup of detergent for each load. I have to admit I use 2-3 cups because I have trouble with trust. :-) But it cleans. Will it clean with one cup - recipe says yes. It still is only pennies a load.