I have been making my own laundry detergent for over a year now. Up until now, I have always made liquid soap and used a 5 gallon drink cooler as a dispenser. It works great. In the past year I still haven't figured out how to get the consistency just right. I end up with the first part being to watery and the last of the batch being a bit thick so that I need to scoop it out of the dispenser. Neither of these issues cause any trouble with washing. My clothes still turn out wonderfully clean and smell great. And I have not had any problem with stains.
I found a new recipe on Pinterest for a powdered detergent. I decided to give it a try since my liquid batch is nearly gone. The neat thing about this recipe, is the crystal fabric softener. WOW! It smells so good and the blankets and towels have been so fluffy and soft. This makes about 2 gallons worth of powder and only 2 Tbsp is needed per load…..and I have a large capacity HE washer. This stuff is gonna last a while.
If you save the Purex crystal containers, they work great to keep a small amount out and store the rest in a large bucket. The cap on these containers has 3 lines. If you fill with powder to the bottom line, that is 2Tbsp. PERFECT!
If you have sensitive skin or allergies, just leave out the Purex crystals. The soap still works perfectly and there wont be a scent to irritate.
Powdered Detergent
4 lb box Borax
3 lb box Washing Soda
4 lb box baking soda
3 lb container OxyClean (optional….but I have messy toddlers)
2 bars Fels Naptha soap (Zote is another good option)
2 (280z) containers Purex crystals fabric softener
1. Grate bars of soap using a fine grater. I use rubber gloves so that I don’t grate my fingers as well.
2. In a large 5 gallon bucket, layer all ingredients and mix. I put the lid on and rolled the bucket around and then used my rubber gloved hands to mix this all up. It was a workout.
3. Use 2 Tbsp per load. Sprinkle directly in drum on top of clothes.
*This works great in top loading, front loading, regular, and HE machines.
So, you don't use this in the soap dispenser? I have a front loader, and I have never put soap directly on the clothes in the drum.
ReplyDeleteI have made this dry version for about a year. My husband does the laundry and was VERY skeptical... well no longer!! It is amazing and saves a fortune!! I actually made a lot of "homemade" mixes this past Christmas and gave them to my adult children as gifts. They LOVED it!!
ReplyDeleteI made this about a month ago and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! I have a family of 5 and do 4-5 loads of laundry a week and I'm pretty sure this is going to last me a year, and when it's gone, I'll be buying the stuff to make it again!
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