Friday, April 1, 2011

Hit Me With Your Best Shot

When I mention to my family and friends that I started making my own laundry detergent AND fabric softner, they put the brakes on and say "How do you do that?" I've posted some information before, but this is a more detailed entry.

If cruising the various blogs and tip sites, you will definitely find a plethora of recipes for this- that's how I found mine. I did, however, experiment, and through trial and error I have come up with the most awesome cleaning duo. My clothes smell so fresh and trust me, smells and stains DO come out :-)

Here's my ingredient list (all found here locally in Louisville):

Not pictured is a 5-gallon bucket (yes I said 5 gallons!) For the laundry detergent you will need:

Borax
Washing Soda
Fels-Naptha Laundry Soap
Favorite scent (I use Soapy Clean from Brambleberry)
Water

Grate the laundry soap into a saucepan of 2 cups of water. You want to melt the soap into a liquid but don't let it boil- you will get lots of bubbles. While that is happening, fill your 5 gallon bucket with warm water til its about 3/4 full. Add 1 cup of Borax and 1 cup if washing soda. Stir that up and when the Fels-Naptha soap has liquified, pour that into the bucket and add your scent (as little or as much as you'd like).

Snap the lid on and wait for about 2 days. You will be so surprised how it gels up. It will still seem clumpy but that's okay! I use about a cup per load and will sometimes scrub some into the fabric if I think there's a difficult stain. Since November 2010 I have made 3 batches and I'm not even half way through my third batch.

My bucket o' love

Now that I think about it, this looks like grits :-)

Now on to the fabric softener. This is so simple you'll want to kick yourself in the butt for not trying it sooner:

32 ounces of white vinegar
Baking soda
Favorite scent (optional)

In a bowl (because of fizzing action) mix the vinegar with 1/2 cup of baking soda. After it calms down, pour it back into the vinegar bottle. It's not all going to fit, so I myself am looking for a bigger bottle to keep it in. Add the fabric softener as you normally would.

How easy it this? You'll be making your own before you know it!

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4 comments:

  1. This is great! I bet it saves you loads of money!
    I get an allergic rash when I use anything but Tide, when you make it yourself is it pretty gentle on skin?
    I found you on Blog Frog! Glad I came and took a peek!

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  2. @ Jessie- Both of my kids have/had eczema problems. The have not had a breakout in them because of this.

    You could always make a batch and try it. You won't be out too much money- the bucket was the most expensive item! I have saved TONS of money making my own and it's fun to get the kids involved too :-)

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  3. hehehe - I love these posts. People forget that once, not long ago, you HAD to make your own supplies! I have used the same recipe for laundry soap several times :)

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  4. Hi! I have been making my own soap for awhile now and it has saved so much money! I do the liquid and the powder. Luv it!

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