So a couple of weeks ago I decided to try something different - I decided to try making my own laundry detergent! Why, you may ask, did I decide to do this? Well for one, it is environmentally friendly. All of the ingredients are natural, biodegradable, and eco-friendly. Plus, it is really really cheap! I was looking at the laundry aisle at the store the other day, and holy cow laundry detergent is expensive! You can buy all the ingredients for this for less than it will cost for a jug of detergent and these ingredients will last for like 10 or more batches of homemade detergent! This detergent is also septic safe, and HE machine compatible.
Now the inevitible question is, how does it work? Really, really well! I think it gets out stains better than my old detergent and it makes the clothes look brighter than they have in a long time!
So if you are interested, here is the recipe:
1 5 gallon bucket
1 bar of soap (any kind will do, but I use ivory b/c it is cheap and one of the purer soaps)
1 cup of washing soda (similar to baking soda, you can probably find this in your laundry aisle. Arm & Hammer makes it)
1/2 cup borax (again, will probably find in the laundry ailse)
Grate bar of soap (I use the cheese grater) and boil 4 cups of water on the stove. Slowly add the grated soap until it is all dissolved. Meanwhile, fill the bucket with 3 gallons of water. Add the soapy water and stir thoroughly. Then add washing soda, and stir some more. Finally, add the borax and keep stirring for a couple minutes. If you want, you can add in 15 drops of your favorite essential oil to give it a light scent. Then, let it sit overnight and it will turn into a gel! Use 1 cup per load.
Some things you should know: this detergent barely suds (that's why it's good for HE's) b/c it's all natural stuff and the sudsing in commercial detergents is mostly just a show. It is still cleaning just as well. Also, even with the essential oils, the clothes won't really have a scent when they come out. They will smell clean, just not perfumed. Also, if it's not stirred just so, it will come out lumpy looking- that is completely fine, it still will work just as well.
Anyhow, I had a lot of fun making this- it is really simple and does not take long at all.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Thursday, June 12, 2008
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