How to Make Laundry Supplies

Save money by making your own laundry supplies.

Making your own laundry supplies can be easy and economical. With a few basic ingredients you can make enough detergent and fabric softener to last for several months. The homemade laundry supplies work as well as or better than what can be bought in the store. With the addition of essential oils you can scent the supplies that you make with your favorite fragrance. You can even make detergent and softener with complimentary scents.

Things You'll Need

• 5 gallon bucket with lid 3 gallons water 2 quart saucepan Wooden stirring spoon Box grater Measuring cup 1 cup Borax 1 cup Arm & Hammer washing soda 1 bar laundry soap (Fels Naptha or Zote) Essential oil of your choice 1 cup inexpensive hair conditioner 3 cups water 1 gallon bucket or old fabric softener container

Instructions

1. Put about a quart of water into the saucepan and heat to boiling on the stove top.

2. Grate the bar of laundry soap until you have about 1 cup of shavings and add this to the boiling water. Stir well until all of the soap has melted. The water will have a cloudy appearance and will be similar in color to the soap.

3. Set the sauce pan off of the stove once the soap has melted in the boiling water.

4. Stir the 1 cup of washing soda and the 1 cup of Borax into the melted soap water until it is dissolved. Set it aside.

5. Pour 1 quart of hot water into the storage bucket and add the saucepan full of dissolved soap, soda and Borax. Stir well.

6. Pour the other 2.5 gallons of water to the bucket.

7. Allow this to set for 24 hours and then it will be ready to use for cleaning laundry. Stir the mixture well before using. Add 1 cup of this solution to your washer when you launder clothes.

8. Mix 1 cup of inexpensive hair conditioner and 3 cups of water in a small container or old fabric softener bottle. Add 1/2 cup of this solution to the final rinse as a softener.

Tips & Warnings

• Add 5 to 10 drops of essential oil to the washing detergent and 3 to 5 drops of essential oil to the softener for even more fragrance. Scented body soaps may be used in place of the laundry soap, although more than 1 cup may be required to equal the cleaning strength of the original recipe with laundry soap.

• Use caution when melting the soap on the stove top.