I’ve seriously been debating making my own laundry detergent. I keep seeing recipes everywhere and how much cheaper it is! Ever since Emma was born I’ve been very careful with what kind of laundry detergent I buy. Those eco/natural detergents get to be very expensive! The hardest part about making your own laundry detergent is probably the part where you have to grate a soap bar which doesn’t sound that hard to me. The most popular recipe is as follows:

1 (4 lb 12 oz) Box of Borax
1 (3 lb 7 oz) Box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
1 (3 lb) Container of OxiClean
2 (14.1 oz) Bars of Fels-Naphta
1 (5 lb) Bag of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda

All of these ingredients can be found in the detergent isle at your local grocery store, except for the Arm & Hammer Baking Soda, that will be on the cooking isle.

1. Using a cheese grater, grate the Fels-Nephta soap. Once it’s grated put it in a blender, or food processor, and pulse until it’s a powder.

2. Add the Fels-Neptha powder to a large bucket (at least 2 gallons), then add remaining ingredients. Stir well with a large spoon.

This makes about a year’s worth so you only have to make it once a year (of course dependent on how often you do laundry). Most people store it in a large container and scoop some in a smaller container to leave by the washer. All you need is a measuring spoon and a load just needs 1-2 TBSP of detergent.

I was kind of skeptical about how well it would work but every review I’ve read says it works as well if not better than commercial detergents! All of the blogs I’ve been reading say this soap will cost you about 4 cents a load….versus traditional Tide which is about 12 cents a load. Or even more if you use the fancy schmancy stuff. The best part is it’s all natural and safe! It will also work with your HE washers. As soon as I run out of our current detergent I’m definitely going to give this a try!

I know it’s silly but I can’t wait to put my detergent in a cute glass jar like this one! hehe