This has been done 1000 times over on blogs and Pinterest, but I'm posting this here because I've got to get back into making my own laundry detergent!!! After our move to Georgia, I purchased a large container of detergent at the store and got stuck into the habit of buying it again. But, before the move, we were making our own laundry detergent for well over a year, and I absolutely loved it!
There's lots of recipes and methods out there, and believe me, we have tried quite a few of them. Ultimately, I settled on this recipe as a keeper. It's easy to remember, makes a ton of detergent and you easily cut the recipe in half or double it. Sometimes, just to mix things up, I make a dry mix, which is just as easy and effective....and again, makes a lot of detergent!!!
Below you'll find both the liquid recipe and a link to a dry recipe that I use. Either way, making your own laundry detergent will save you money, and time in the end!
Liquid detergent:
5 gal. bucket with a lid (Lowes/Home Depot sell these for about $3)
Large sauce pan (something large enough to hold 5 cups of liquid)
Large spoon
Grater
1 bar of castile soap or laundry soap (Dr. Bronners, Kirks, Zotes, Fels naptha)
1 cup 10 mule Borax
1 cup Arm and Hammer super washing soda (NOT baking soda!)
3 gallons of warm water
3 cups of tap water
**Before you get started, please only use items that you will not use with food preparation after making this detergent. I purchased my measuring cup, sauce pan and spoon from the local thrift and dollar stores, and I use an old grater that I already had and extra of. I store all my supplies in the laundry room when not in use!**
1) Measure 3 gallons worth of warm tap water into your 5 gal. bucket and set to off to the side, preferably on the floor, not the counter top. Mark with a sharpie so you can reference it the next time. It doesn't have to be exact, but close.
2) Fill your sauce pan with 3 cups of water and set on medium heat.
3) Grate your bar of soap. Either a fine or a chunky grate will work, if you don't have a grater, finely chop or shave the soap. My little one is peeking behind at me behind the grater :)
5) Add 1 cup of borax to the pot, stir until mostly dissolved. It will be very gritty feeling while stirring! Then, add 1 cup washing soda, stir until mostly dissolved, again, it will feel very gritty. Stir and simmer for another minute or two.
6) CAREFULLY, pour your mixture in the pot into the 3 gallons of water in the bucket. Stir, stir, and stir to fully incorporate your mix. Place the lid on loosely and put your bucket somewhere it can sit undisturbed over night, or at least 12 hours.
The next morning, peek into your bucket! Your soap should look congealed and may possibly have a very thick layer on top. However, it could also look very thin and watery, either way, it's just fine. You can use your spoon to stir up the mix, or if you have an immersion blender, you can give it a wiz.
At this point, you can either use the soap directly from your bucket, using 1/2 cup per full laundry load. Or you can fill empty laundry soap bottles with your soap. Personally, I fill up old empty laundry soap bottles 3/4 full with this soap, then fill the rest of the bottle with water. Give it a shake and it's ready. I use 1/2 cup per full laundry load.
This soap is fine for your HE washer! It is a very LOW sudsing soap.
Remember to shake or stir your soap before each use. It will continue to gel and it may get lumpy between uses.
If you don't want liquid laundry soap, try a dry mix! I use the recipe over at the howdoesshe blog. I believe she originally linked to another source, but that source is no longer working. Again, this makes a whole lot of laundry soap! The dry soap is a great gift as well!
Do you make your own soaps or household cleaning products? If so, what do you make?
Enjoy!
2 comments:
Hi Crystal! I have used this (pretty sure the same or very similar recipe, if my gray matter is working right)before and really liked it. I even have the same orange 5 gallon bucket! ;) Thanks for the reminder, I fell out of the habit of making my own about four moves ago...ahem. But something we still always use for just about everything is vinegar and water with a few lavender drops in a spray bottle. I love how fresh our home smells without all the toxic chemicals intermixing!
Yes! We use vinegar and water around the house too and love it. I've been using castile soaps as well along with essential oils...maybe I'll get a post together about all of it! I love making my own cleaning things!
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