Powder and Liquid Recipes
For the majority of my adult life, I have been a management
professional and have been in charge of the profit, loss,and operations
of multi-million dollar companies. When baby number 5 came along, I
realized that it was time to step back. I became a work from home mother
and began devoting my time to my family's profit and loss! I quickly
realized that we had been spending too much money buying things for
convenience! I never would have accepted that from myself while
operating other people's businesses so why start now?
I began looking into ways to save money and to get healthy. I began making all of my own noodles, breads, and pastries from scratch. Sure....it took an extra minute from my work day BUT it was priceless quality time spent with my children and much healthier for us all. That part was easy. So...I had eliminated costs (and gotten a little greener) there but what was next.......after my first trip to the grocery for cleaning supplies, I saw the next challenge. I had already began looking into ways to eliminate chemicals from every-day items and trying to use all-natural cleaning supplies but YIKES was that expensive! The all-natural products on the shelf were almost double what I used to by. So...inspiration struck (and my cheapness...I mean frugality) and I was going to make my own cleaning products!
I didn't jump into green cleaning supplies all at once. I started with one product then worked my way through the cleaning cabinet. Once you buy just a few ingredients, they are able to be used in most of your green cleaning products so it is so easy to keep adding to the list of what you homemake. They are so much better on the pocket (usually 1/4 the cost or less than what you buy at the store) and better for you!
I finally made my way to laundry detergent. To me this was a leap of faith. I have used the same thing for years!! This is the most labor intensive of all of the homemade cleaning supplies which is why it was last. It works fantastically! Don't be scared that it doesn't suds up. The suds aren't what does the cleaning in traditional soaps...most of us think it is though! It is also safe for HE machines!
Homemade Laundry Detergent:
The larger batch cost (depending on store purchased and deals):
- 1 box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Powder – $3.15
- 4lb box of Baking Soda – $2.12
- 1 box Borax – $3.39
- 3 bars Fels-Naptha – $2.91
If your family isn't as big as mine, you can make a smaller batch (about 30 loads)
- 6-8 oz. Fels Naptha or other soap
- 1 Cup baking soda
- 1 Cup Borax
- 1 Cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
If you prefer liquid detergent-
Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent
1/2 bar of Fels-Naptha (if you use Ivory soap usea whole bar)
1 cup borax
1 cup washing soda
2 gallons of water, divided
Also need:
a grater
a large saucepan (8 cups or larger)
large bucket or container with lid
liquid storage containers for finished product
If you like fragrance---you can add some essential oil! Use whatever you like, lavender, orange, etc
Directions:
1. Grate 1/2 a bar of Fels-Naptha into a saucepan.
2. Cover shavings with 4 cups of water and heat on low and continue stirring often until the soap is melted. Usually about 10 minutes
3. Remove from heat. Add the borax and washing soda (and essential oils if you choose)and stir in another 4 cups of water. Mixture may look like pudding!
4. Pour mixture into a bucket or other container with a lid., add another 24 cups (or 1 gallon + 8 cups) and stir well.This may be a bit tricky but some people use a whisk or immersion blender.
5. Let mixture set overnight.
6. The next day, the congealed soap will have settled to the top. Stir it back in and pour into storage containers.You can use old laundry bottles or any container with a lid. I like to use a square container.
Use 1 cup per load!
If you want to make the switch to all natural but aren't ready to DIY...No problem! My all Natural Laundry Soap is available at my Etsy shop! Click Here to see it and other great all natural and organic creations!
Or...if you are ready to DIY...
Grab your ingredients at Walgreens online and get FREE SHIPPING on all orders over $25!
Fels-Naptha Heavy Duty Laundry Bar SoapArm & Hammer Baking Soda
Arm & Hammer Super Wash Soda, Detergent Booster
