Part of my goals this year was to make my own cleaning products and stop spending ridiculous amounts of money on the store bought kind. One of the most expensive things is laundry detergent. I looked up online and found a number of recipes to make your own for so much cheaper.
One thing I noticed from all the recipes online is that they made a whole lot at once. I don't really have the storage space for much, so I only wanted a gallon at a time. I took one of the recipes and cut it down to fit in the milk jug I had.
1/3 Bar Soap (Fels-Naptha, Ivory Soap both work), grated
1/2 cup Borax
1/2 cup Super Washing Soda (NOT BAKING SODA**)
Heat 6 cups of water with the soap, until the soap melts. Add Borax and Washing Soda to mix and heat til it dissolves. Remove from heat. Add 3 cups of hot water. Use funnel to pour mixture into clean milk jug. Fill the jug with cold water. Use the end of a wooden spoon to stir the mixture. It should gel overnight.
** I learned an important lesson. Someone on the interwebs said you could use Baking Soda instead of Washing Soda, this is WRONG. The first batch I made I used Baking Soda and it exploded all over my stove top, sort of like a science fair experiment. So, make sure you get the Super Washing Soda. I finally found it at Ace Hardware.
The initial cost of the ingredients is under $10, but the Borax and Soda will last a loooooong time.
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| Homemade Laundry Detergent |
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| Homemade Laundry Detergent Ingredients |
1/2 cup Borax
1/2 cup Super Washing Soda (NOT BAKING SODA**)
Heat 6 cups of water with the soap, until the soap melts. Add Borax and Washing Soda to mix and heat til it dissolves. Remove from heat. Add 3 cups of hot water. Use funnel to pour mixture into clean milk jug. Fill the jug with cold water. Use the end of a wooden spoon to stir the mixture. It should gel overnight.
** I learned an important lesson. Someone on the interwebs said you could use Baking Soda instead of Washing Soda, this is WRONG. The first batch I made I used Baking Soda and it exploded all over my stove top, sort of like a science fair experiment. So, make sure you get the Super Washing Soda. I finally found it at Ace Hardware.
The initial cost of the ingredients is under $10, but the Borax and Soda will last a loooooong time.
This is so cool! Definitely trying out a batch when I move.
ReplyDeleteWow! How does it smell? Are you still using (assuming you did previously) fabric softener? College students should know this recipe! Can't wait to try it. :)
ReplyDeleteI need to do this! I think I want to make a gallon at a time too since there is just the two of us.
ReplyDelete