Let's make our own laundry detergent and stick it to the man!
**UPDATE**(for an even faster and easier recipe, scroll to the bottom!)
Things that you already have:
1. Baking Soda
2. Bar Soap
3. 1/2 cup measure
4. Plastic Bottles/Containers (enough to hold 6 quarts).
5. Cheese grate
Things you might not have (but should):
1. Stainless steel stock pot (at least 12 quarts) with a lid.
2. Essential (or Skin So Soft) oil of your choice.
3. Box of Borax
Directions:
Step 1: Grate 1/2 cup of bar soap.
Step 2: Pour 1 quart of hot tap water into your pot and heat on stove.
Step 3: Pour in the bar soap shavings and stir till they dissolve.
Step 4: Remove pot from heat.
Step 5: Pour 5 more quarts of hot tap water into the pot.
Step 6: Pour in 1/2 cup of Baking Soda and 1/2 cup of Borax.
Step 7: Drop in several drops of oil and stir.
(I used 2 capfuls of Skin So Soft to keep bugs from biting me!!!)
Step 8: Let it stand overnight.
The End.
It took about 10 minutes total (not counting the night part).
Costs of Things and Where To Buy Them:
1. Baking Soda - $0.50 - Aldi or Dollar General
2. Bar Soap - . . .I HOPE you already have this. . .
3. 1/2 cup measure - Free - Stolen from your mom's house.
4. Plastic containers - Free - If you use old detergent bottles.
(Mine, in the picture below, are from Dollar Tree.)
5. 12-quart Stock Pot - $9.00 - Walmart.com
(Probably cheaper at Big Lots)
6. (Optional) Essential Oil - Varies in price
(You don't need anything over $10.00. . .
no matter what the person at Whole Foods told you.)
7. (Optional) Skin So Soft - $16 (I got mine on sale for $10)
- Your neighborhood Avon Lady
8. Borax - $4.00 - Dollar General
Total Price: $13.50 - $41.50 for literally tens of gallons of detergent!
Me, I already had everything but the Borax, so I'm out $4.00!
Feel free to play around with the measurements. My concoction is a bit potent compared to others' online, but that's 'cause I wanted to use the cap from an old bottle of detergent to measure.
**NOTE: The liquid turns almost Jello-like after a few hours, but a simple shake before pouring alleviates this problem.**
**UPDATE** The above recipe is super easy and only takes about 10 to 15 minutes to make, but letting it stand overnight is kind of a pain. Since posting this blog, I've figured out an even simpler, faster, more immediate recipe! Double this recipe to make 6 quarts of detergent in under 5 minutes!
To make 3 quarts of detergent:
1. Pour 1/4c of borax, 1/4c of baking soda, and 1/4c of table salt into a 3 quart container.
2. Pour hot tap water over the mixture leaving a little space at the top.
3. Stir until the powders dissolve.
4. Stir in 1/4c of Dr. Bronner's castile soap ($12 for 32oz. at Food Lion) and scented oil.
(Don't shake!)
Whenever you are ready to use it, simply tip it upside down and back upright to get all the sediment to disperse and then pour the same amount into your washer as before. Don't shake it, because that wastes the lather. This mixture is far more liquid than the other mixture.
**Another note: Neither of these recipes give a very lasting fragrance to laundry, so don't waste too much scented oil. Also, you will get better results if you pour your laundry soap into the washer, turn the washer on, wait for the water to rise a bit, and then add your clothes.
**NOTE: The liquid turns almost Jello-like after a few hours, but a simple shake before pouring alleviates this problem.**
**UPDATE** The above recipe is super easy and only takes about 10 to 15 minutes to make, but letting it stand overnight is kind of a pain. Since posting this blog, I've figured out an even simpler, faster, more immediate recipe! Double this recipe to make 6 quarts of detergent in under 5 minutes!
To make 3 quarts of detergent:
1. Pour 1/4c of borax, 1/4c of baking soda, and 1/4c of table salt into a 3 quart container.
2. Pour hot tap water over the mixture leaving a little space at the top.
3. Stir until the powders dissolve.
4. Stir in 1/4c of Dr. Bronner's castile soap ($12 for 32oz. at Food Lion) and scented oil.
(Don't shake!)
Whenever you are ready to use it, simply tip it upside down and back upright to get all the sediment to disperse and then pour the same amount into your washer as before. Don't shake it, because that wastes the lather. This mixture is far more liquid than the other mixture.
**Another note: Neither of these recipes give a very lasting fragrance to laundry, so don't waste too much scented oil. Also, you will get better results if you pour your laundry soap into the washer, turn the washer on, wait for the water to rise a bit, and then add your clothes.
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