Homemaker Pride

In October of last year, I proudly experimented with a recipe to make my own laundry detergent.  I had been spending around $30 per month on laundry detergent and stain spray, and my laundry room was filling up with empty bottles of detergent that I would guiltily throw into recycling.  Doing 8-12 loads of laundry each week, I felt like I was going through way too many bottles and was not only concerned about the amount of waste I was creating but in the money that I was spending just to wash our clothes.  But, what's a lady to do?  Then, a friend shared a blog page telling how to make homemade laundry detergent and she raved about how clean her clothes got.  I was skeptical.  I am very good to my clothes.  I treat every stain, I follow the care label perfectly, I hang dry anything I'm afraid will shrink or pill or get ruined in the dryer.  I am determined to make my clothes last (mostly out of necessity since we have been poor students for a very long time) and to be able to pass down my kids' clothes stain-free.  So, I was hesitant to subject my clothes to "cheap" detergent.  I decided I would go out and spend the $20 on the ingredients and could just use it on my towels and sheets if nothing else. 

I got home with my slew of soaps and powders and got to work.  It only took me about 15 minutes to make and I was really proud of myself for MAKING laundry detergent and also loved the way my house smelled.  Then, I put it to the test.  I was amazed - and that is not an overstatement - at how clean my towels got using just 1 Tablespoon of my homemade detergent.  I decided to try it out on my other clothes.  1 Tablespoon of this MAGIC detergent cleaned an entire HE Washer Load of dirty kid clothes - stains and all!  I felt a little bit of pride in this new discovery.  Not only had I MADE it myself, but I would be able to save our family nearly $30 per month just to do something as simple as switching over to the homemade stuff and, bonus!, no more empty bottles of detergent laying around making me feel guilty about adding to the waste problem.  And, might I add, it is truly great for a family with sensitive skin.  My kids and I all have eczema and this is the first detergent I have used that doesn't irritate our skin.  I felt like a true hippie homemaker!  So, after using this miraculous detergent for 8 straight months, on clothes as well as carpet stains, I finally ran out of the stuff.  And I instantly went out to buy more ingredients because I am sold.  I won't buy the store brands anymore. 

Homemade Laundry Soap!!

I do A LOT of laundry.  Dirty, dirty laundry.  My kids are filthy!  They can't eat anything without getting it all over themselves.  And, if it's red and goopy, they make sure to smear it all over the place!  My son comes home from school each day covered in food, mud, and grass stains.  Jordan comes home from soccer covered in dirt and sweat.  This fancy, inexpensive homemade stuff costs merely $2.50 per month to do roughly 40 loads of laundry.  Tide costs almost 10 times that much and leaves a residue/buildup on my clothes.  So, because I'm so sold on this, and it has given me so much pride in being a budget savvy and earth-friendly homemaker, I decided to share it with anyone who wants to try. 

Tip:  Don't overuse it.  You will be skeptical and wonder if 1 Tablespoon will really clean an entire load of laundry, but it does.  It's  a m a z i n g !!!

Here is what you need:

(I used this picture from the blog I got the recipe from)

1 4 lb 12 oz box Borax (2.15 kg or 76 oz) found in the detergent isle

1 4 lb box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda (1.81 kg) found in the cooking isle
1  box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda 55 oz (3 lb 7 oz) found in the detergent isle
3 bars of Fels-Naptha soap, found in the detergent isle (if you use Zote bars use 2 bars instead, Zote can be found at Home Depot) or you can use Ivory soap (the basic, unscented with no lotions)

1 large tub of oxyclean or 2 small containers of oxyclean (I bought the sensitive skin variation)

Mix the powders together into any large, lined container (I use an 8 gallon trash bin lined with a garbage bag), then finely grate the bar soap into the mix.  I use one of those 4-sided cheese graters on the side that is meant for grating parmesan.  Don't worry - it washes off of the grater entirely... I mean, it's soap!  Distribute thoroughly. Put the mixture into any sealed container... a cute cookie jar with a sealed lid, a sealable rubbermaid storage container, leftover oxyclean tubs, one of those huge ice cream gallon tubs, anything!  Then, keep a Tablespoon size scoop or spoon nearby the ensure you don't overuse your fabulous new detergent.  You'll love how efficient this stuff is!

**Use 1-2 Tablespoons per load. I know that does not seem like enough but this recipe does not have fillers like the store bought detergent so you only need 1-2 Tablespoons.**