The original recipe can be found at the above link but here's my modified version as I made a double batch using two different soaps (experimenting!). All of these items were found at my local Super Walmart.
*edit* This lasted my family of 6 two weeks exactly.
1 bar Ivory soap
1 bar Dial soap
2 cups of Borax
2 cups of Arm & Hammer WASHING soda (not the same as baking soda)
1/2 cup of OxyClean (I had on hand leftover Shout Oxy Power)
Using a cheese shredder, blender, or salad shooter grate the soaps up really fine so that there's no big clumps since you're making the powder type of laundry soap. Add the shredded soap to a clear shoebox container (88 cents at Walmart) then add the following and mix together: Borax, washing soda, and OxyClean. Use any scoop that measures out to 1 or 2 tablespoons and keep the lid on your mixture when not using it. Since I used the remainder of my Shout Oxy Power I am keeping the scoop that came with it and using it to measure out the detergent for my laundry loads.
If you use fabric softener you can easily switch to a homemade version and not only save money but keep that pollutant from harming the environment.
This recipe also came from Modern Cottage!
Take a one gallon jug of white vinegar and add 20-30 drops of your favorite essential oil (not necessary but it leaves a nice smell!). The vinegar will NOT make your clothes smell like vinegar. It simply helps remove the remainder of soap left on your clothes, makes them soft in the process and disinfects!
If you're also a dryer sheet user, you can save money by simply adding some of the homemade fabric softener to a wash cloth and throw it in the dryer with each load. I have a special wash cloth that is used just for this so it's always on hand (just take it out of the laundry load and keep on top of the dryer).
To make your clothes smell absolutely wonderful after even trying these new ideas, line dry them! That not only saves money on your electric bill but it also makes your clothes last longer. What do you think dryer lint is? Your clothes slowly being eaten away by the dryer! To soften up towels, undies, and such just toss them in the dryer for five minutes on the fluff cycle (called different things on some dryers).
Still think only Tide or something else will do the job? This batch cost less than $5 to make so you can't not try it to see! As reported at Modern Cottage, here's the rundown on costs:
First some exciting money facts:
- Cost to make your own: Around $2 per batch. This is about 5.7 cents per load (using 2 tablespoons for each load, you get about 35 loads). Arm & Hammer laundry detergent is about 12.4 cents per load.Tide detergent is 30 cents and more per load.
