Here is a post I did about a year or so on my JesPlayin’ blog. I am reposting here because I think it’s useful and relevant. This recipe will also be available in the ‘make your own’ section and available for download in a printer-friendly format.
Here’s a great recipe I found on Woman’s Day’s website. I’m excited and can’t wait to try this and see how well it works. My detergent buying days are about to be over if it washes as clean as they say it does. Now you might wonder why I’d make detergent when I could easily buy it. Here are my reasons:
1. I want something simpler and more natural. My son suffers from seasonal allergies. I, as well as all 3 of my kids suffer with hives. I want to eliminate as much chemicals from our lives as possible.
2. Detergent is expensive! This recipe will end up costing pennies per load.
3. I love the self-sufficiency aspect of it. Plus, I can customize with essential oils/fragrances that
I love.
4. It’s fun! Yet another thing I can make!
I will make it this weekend, try it out and report back on my findings.
With no further ado, here’s the recipe, courtesy of Mary Hunt of soapsgonebuy.com and woman’s day.
Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent
Ingredients:
3 pints water
1/3 bar Fels Naptha Soap, grated
1/2 cup Washing Soda (not baking soda, please!)
1/2 cup 20 Mule Team Borax
2-gallon bucket to mix it in
Additional hot water
Directions:
Mix Fels Naptha soap in a saucepan with 3 pints hot water and heat on low until dissolved. Stir in washing soda and borax. Stir until thickened, and remove from heat. Add 1 quart hot water to a two-gallon bucket. Add soap mixture, and mix well. Fill bucket to about 3 inches from the top with additional hot water, and mix well. Set aside for 24 hours, or until mixture thickens. Use 1/2 cup of mixture per load. Note: This detergent will not make suds, which makes it perfect for front-loading HE washers.
Edited to add:
The Fels Naptha soap, Washing Soda and Borax can all be found in the laundry aisle of your grocery store, depending on your locale. I got mine from Meijer and I think Kroger and Walmart sell them too, but I’m not certain. The Fels Naptha is about $1.50/bar and one bar will make 3 batches. The borax and Washing Soda are under $5 each and will make you A LOT of batches, as they come in about 4Ib boxes.
You can also find them online at this site (or look and see what they look like 2 of the 3 are on the front page, but if you search the site for ‘fels naptha’ you will find that on there too): www.soapsgonebuy.com
Good luck, and gimme a yell if you need help!
A|M
AfroMartha 