Homemade Cleaners Series: Laundry Detergent

   Commercial cleaners can take a chunk out of your grocery bill. No need though. Many cleaners can be made at home with a combination of a few ingredients you probably already have at your house, or can purchase in bulk for just a few dollars. My cousin, Mike Fisher, shared with me that he makes his own laundry and dishwasher detergent from recipes he found online. He was kind enough to share them with me, and I will share them with you. This series will highlight a few household cleaners that are simple enough to make at home and will save you a lot in the long run.

   This weekend I started my homemade cleaner adventure with laundry detergent. There were several recipes to choose from that range from diluted (use more per load) to concentrated formulas (use less per load). I picked one in the middle.

• One Bar of Soap - Light or Fragrance Free
• 2 cups Muleteam Borax
• 2 cups Arm & Hammer Cleaning Soda 
• 1 quart water

   Directions: Shave bar soap (I used a cheese grater). Boil quart of water and add soap shavings. Stir until melted. Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full with hot water. Add melted soap mixure. Add the Borax and cleaning soda. Mix until disolved and top off bucket with more hot water. Stir again. The solution may form into a gel, it may not. It need not be a gel to be effective. Use 1/2 cup detergent per load for this recipe. Find other laundry detergent recipes here http://tipnut.com/10-homemade-laundry-soap-detergent-recipes/

   My tips: If you choose a frangrance free bar soap, you can add a few drops of essential oils in a scent you prefer - lavender, orange, etc. If you choose a soap with a light, fresh scent, don't add scented oil as the combination may not work well. We built our homemade laundry detergent container out of a 5 gallon bucket with a lid and put a spigot at the bottom. (See photo) So we have a storage container that works as a dispenser as well.

   Share with friends: Try a big batch yourself. If you like it, send a gallon home with a friend and share the recipe.

   Cost difference: Leading commercial brands such as Tide or Gain average $15-$17 for the largest container, 1.17 gallons. The ingredients for one recipe of this homemade detergent cost be $3.75, which I get 5 gallons out of. $3.75/5 = $.75 per gallon. As you can see, it's an incredible cost difference.
  **Stay tuned for more household cleaner recipes in this series!