How to Make Homemade Laundry Detergent

Whether for economic or health reasons, many people are looking into making their own cleaning and beauty products. I've recently ventured into this realm as well, and thought I would share my recipe for homemade laundry detergent. It's fast, easy, and will even save you money!

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Borax
• Washing Soda
• bar of soap
• 5 gallon bucket
• Big stick for stirring
• essential oils (optional)

1. Grate your bar of soap. You can do this with a knife, a grater, or anything that will help you shave down the bar. You want your pieces small enough so you they'll dissolve in water.

2. Boil two cups of water in a large saucepan. Add your soap flakes and continue stirring until fully dissolved. Your mixture will suds-up just stir often and make sure the soap is fully dissolved before moving on to the next step.

3. In your 5 gallon bucket, add 3 gallons of hot water, 1 cup of borax, and 1 cup of washing soda. Stir until dissolved.

4. Add your soap flake mixture. Stir until everything is combined. Then place a loose cover over your bucket and let it sit overnight. In the morning, you will have a light gel substance that you can use in your washing machine.

Tips & Warnings

• You may find Borax and washing soda at Walmart--If not available though, check your local grocery store.
• You can use any type of bar soap that you like.
• This substance does not pour well. If you need to, split it up into smaller batches for storage.
• If you want more scent, add essential oils once your mixture cools--or add them directly into your washer.
• Make sure you buy washing soda--not baking soda. They are both made by Arm and Hammer, but they are very different.