Homemade Laundry Detergent

Okay you thrifty people. I have finally taken on the task of making my own laundry detergent.  I was actually in the grocery store picking up a box of Arm & Hammer lavender powder detergent, i was looking up price comparison to see if Amazon subscription could actually save the family some cash, when in my results came up Mother Earth News for make your own lavender laundry detergent.  The ingredients were so simple.  They had a quantity set to last for one year and I made enough for 3 months (didn't have a big enough container).

Recipe:

1 year for family of 4

16c.     Baking Soda
12c.     Borax
4c.      Castile Soap bar grated
3 TBS. essential oil

I chose to forgo the essential oil and used a bar of Dr. Bronner's soap in Lavender.

I also added BioKleen Oxygen bleach ( socks people..for the sake of having white socks!) Didn't measure cause i had a small amount left and the tube says to add only a few Tablespoons to a load, so I'm not worried that there is too much.

Once everything was in the canister I closed the lid tight and shook it to mix all ingredients.

The dosage per load is 1/8th cup.  Awesome!  And the original recipe is supposed to last for one year.  I broke the formula down ( actually did math sans calculator..amazing!) for 3 months and wrote it on one side of the canister so I'd always have it.  I also stuck a 1/8c. measure in there, a cheap little plastic one so if it breaks down it's not a big deal to replace.

Directions on top of lid for those who don't normally do the laundry so half of it is not used in one load. 

 This detergent took me about 10 minutes to make because of the grating but it was so worth it.  The smell from the Dr. Bronner's Soap is wonderful. 

Can't wait to see the results of my first load of laundry. 

Money break down:

Baking Soda store generic brand 4lbs or 64oz: $2.09 or 3¢ an ounce

Borax 76oz $3.38 or 4¢ an ounce.

Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap Bar 5 oz: $3.54  or 7¢ an ounce

BioKleen Oxygen Bleach Plus 32 oz (amazon) $9.80 (w/ prime) 3¢ an ounce.


3 month recipe Cost

4C. Baking Soda = 12¢
3C. Borax =   12¢
2C. Castile Soap =  $1.12
1/2C. BioKleen (guessing i had a small amount in there) = 12¢

Total=  $1.48  for 3 months of detergent

How cool is that! It is way less then a single box of Arm and Hammer Lavender powder detergent.

This is too exciting.  Gonna need to get a larger canister to make more!  wow!