Makin' Laundry Detergent

Last night was "make laundry detergent" night at my house.  I made my first batch of homemade laundry detergent right after Christmas after seeing a recipe from Why Not Sew? on Pinterest.  Husband and I decided that, since the ingredients were so cheap, it wouldn't hurt to make a batch to try.  We agreed that if we didn't like it, we would just trash the batch and go back to buying store bought detergent.  Turns out, we like our homemade detergent!  This makes me happy because I think it's fun to make and oh, so much cheaper than buying detergent in the store.

Here's what you will need:

1 large  (at least 12 quart) stockpot - It's best to use one you don't ever plan on cooking in again

1 bar of soap - Obviously, we used Irish Spring but use whatever kind smells good to you

1 cup 20 Mule Team Borax

1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda

1 large (preferably quart-sized) measuring cup

Funnel

Grater

Empty containers - I used empty gallon jugs, but you can use pretty much anything you have on hand. Just be sure to rinse the containers well before using them

To start, fill your stockpot with 2 gallons of water.  Heat on the stove over medium heat.  While your water is heating, grate your bar of soap into your stockpot.

Continue to heat until all of your soap shavings have dissolved.  

Once your soap has dissolved, add 1 cup each of Borax and Arm & Hammer Washing Soda.

*Note - I had pre-measured a cup of each and put them both into one large measuring cup that way I only had to pour once

Bring the mixture to a boil and let boil for 5-10 minutes.  Watch it carefully to make sure it doesn't boil over.  Your mixture will begin to thicken and take on a slimy consistency.

Remove from heat and (carefully!) pour the mixture into a 5-gallon bucket, then add 1 gallon of cold water. 

Cover and let sit overnight.  Your mixture will cool and thicken considerably.  The next morning, it should look like this:

Stir your mixture well.  I mean really stir the heck out of it.  If you have a stick blender or a drill that has a paint stirrer attachment, use it.  I don't have either, so I just used a spoon with a long handle and some muscle.

Dip your detergent mixture from your bucket and funnel it into your container.  Use 3 parts detergent and 1 part water to fill your containers.  This is why I like using gallon jugs and a quart-sized measuring cup - it makes the 3:1 part very easy!

This batch actually used a little more than 3 and a half gallons, but the water bottles I used to hold the overflow didn't look very nice in the picture so I left them out.

And that's it!  Just shake well before each use and use 1/2 - 3/4 cup of detergent per load, depending on load size.

A few things to remember:  

-This detergent will not create very many (if any) suds.  But my clothes are just as clean using this as they are when we used store bought detergent.  And they come out of the washer feeling much softer!

-For tough stains, pre-treat.  This was not something I had to get used to doing, because having a toddler in the house means pre-treating his clothes regularly, even when we used store bought detergent. 

-Don't pour the detergent directly onto your clothes.  I did that once and noticed some white spots on the laundry (which washed right out the next time around).  

-Everything I have read online says this detergent is safe for HE washers.  I still use an old-fashioned top-loader, though, so I can't speak from experience on that one.

-If anyone in your household has sensitive skin, you can try using a half a cup of Borax instead of a whole cup, or just leave it out altogether.  Stains might be a little tougher to get out without the Borax, but it isn't an absolutely essential ingredient.

-Speaking of Borax, there has been a lot of controversy lately surrounding Borax and its safety and link to potential fertility problems.  I have done a LOT of research on the topic and found this article by Crunchy Betty to be the most informative.  Besides, the Duggars use Borax and I'm pretty sure there aren't ANY fertility problems in that family.

Good luck!  I hope you enjoy your homemade detergent (and your savings) as much as I enjoy  mine!