homemade laundry detergent – a great gift!
January 22, 2012
my dear friend, lori, gave us the sweetest holiday gift: ingredients and directions for making homemade laundry detergent.
i’ve been wanting to try this but hadn’t gotten around to doing it … now, no excuses, with everything i needed given so generously to me!
it was super easy to make and has already lasted several weeks. we have used maybe half of what we made. how frugal and wonderful is that!? what a money saver. i am so thankful!
1 of the 3 jugs that the mix made
the ingredients and instructions were simple:
{all the ingredients were in a darling little plastic bag tied with a ribbon}
:: 1/3 bar fells naptha
:: 1/2 c arm & hammer washing soda
:: 1/2 c borax
mix ingredients with 6 c water in pot over medium heat. whisk til dissolved. pour in to bucket with 2 gal plus 2 c water. let sit for 24 hours til gelled. mix before use. use 1/2 c per load; may add essential oil for fragrance.
the little tag with ingredients and instructions
January 22, 2012 at 4:57 pm
So, I made my own several months ago, only mine is the dry ingredients not liquid. We LOVE it and it’s lasting FOREVER!!! And holy cow…what a savings!!
January 22, 2012 at 6:23 pm
krystle, how did you make the dry kind? i would love to try that as well.
January 22, 2012 at 5:26 pm
I would love to hear how well you think it cleans compared to commercial detergent. I’ve thought about doing this for ages, and like you, never gotten around to it.
January 22, 2012 at 6:25 pm
liz, i think it’s working great. we haven’t used “standard” detergent for a few years (the fragrance, traditional kind that i used to love!) but instead have been using mostly the “free and clear” variety, so perhaps it’s not such a noticeable difference in that regard. our clothes are definitely getting clean!!
January 22, 2012 at 11:23 pm
Been wanting to do this—just bought the ingredients. Thanks for the push
January 23, 2012 at 9:25 pm
Been thinking of doing this for a while– just did a quick calculation. It’s a close call which is cheaper– the Bio-Kleen I get in the 5 gallon bucket only takes 1 oz per load. Depends on how inexpensively I can get the ingredients. I’ll have to check sources. Thanks for the recipe!!!
January 24, 2012 at 9:47 am
My husband has been wanting to make this for so long… On island there wasn’t a store that carried the right kind of arm and hammer… We ordered it and it should be here next week or so
looking forward to trying it ourselves!
January 30, 2012 at 8:18 pm
[...] across this dishwasher detergent recipe – it seems to be working! i am loving it, plus my homemade laundry detergent and of course this all-purpose cleaner daily (using it to wash my face now as [...]