The first product I started making homemade (and what started my green journey) was laundry detergent. After I saw the results and saw how we were saving some money, I instantly got hooked. There are soooo many different recipes and it can be made in powder or liquid form.
One thing we had to be cautious of is making sure this was okay for our front loaders. I didn't want to damage my expensive birthday presents after all! But I have learned that MOST ingredients in homemade detergent is low suds which means it's front loader friendly :)
The ingredients in my recipe are safe for front loaders, but feel free to change it to your liking and smelly goodness preference.
What you will need:
1-4lb box of Borax
1-3lb box of Washing Soda
1- 3lb container of OxiClean
3-bars of Fels Naptha
2-2lb boxes of Baking Soda
1or2- bottles of Purex Crystals
Grate bars Fels Naptha soap (yes like grating cheese). Combine all ingredients into container. Mix well. Use 1 to 2 T per load.
As you can obviously tell, this makes ALOT of detergent!! We went to Wal-Mart and bought one of those 5 gallon buckets with a lid, lined it with a trash bag, and mixed all the ingredients in. I suggest mixing a little at a time because the container will get heavy and mixing will become a somewhat tough.
Make sure to keep those Purex Crystal containers!! Their lids have these lines on them that measure out 1 and 2 tablespoons perfectly!
And for those of you who have front loaders, I already know what you're going to ask..Where do I put the soap?? Since I'm a visual learner, here are a few pictures to help...
Measure out your detergent.
I think next time I'm going to try out the liquid version. But seriously....I have enough detergent to last me a year (maybe?)!! Once again I hear my bank account applauding :)
Feel free to post any questions about making homemade laundry detergent. If you're unsure of the ingredients or afraid to try any of them, I can offer alternatives and or redirect you to some sights I have found with comments that might ease any worries.
I just made some a couple days ago from a recipe I found on pinterest. Are you gonna use this same recipe for the new baby's clothes or are you gonna make another batch with Dr Brommers bars?
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking about that. The detergent is safe to use but I'm a little leary on using the Purex Crystals. So I think Ill make a special LIQUID version just for him, Eliminating the crystals. I always wash my little one's clothes separate from our own anyways so it works for us! :)
Delete