Money Saver: Home-made Laundry Detergent

Do the Math

If I said you could have 15 gallons of laundry detergent for about $13.00, would you spend the minimal amount of time and work to make it?

My sister and I just priced Arm&Hammer brand Washing Soda ($4.00 for 3-pound box) and Twenty Mule Team brand Borax ($4.00 for 4-pound box) at Wal*Mart. We have a Dollar Tree here that sells full-sized bar soap for $1.00.

Now, since my recipe calls for 1 cup dry measure each of washing soda and borax, I used a converter from dry pounds to dry cups (rounding up 1 number value to the right of the decimal):
3-pounds equates to 5.8 cups
4-pounds equates to 7.7 cups.
Assuming I have .8 cups of washing soda and 2.7 cups of borax left over for the next time I need to buy ingredients to make this: 5 cups of each will make FIVE batches.
Each batch requires 1-bar of soap.
Therefore, $4.00 (washing soda) + $4.00 (borax) + $5.00 (five bars of soap) =$13.00 for five batches or fifteen gallons of laundry detergent.

Let's Make It!

You'll need:

• 1 bar of castille type soap (no glycerine or moisturizer soaps)
• 1 cup of Arm&Hammer brand washing soda
• 1 cup of Twenty Mule Team brand borax
• 1 large pot (2-1/2 gallon or larger)
• grater
• long, wooden spoon
• large funnel
• 3 empty 1-gallon jugs

Directions:

• Fill two 1-gallon jugs with cold water
• Grate one bar of soap into the pot
• Pour one 1-gallon jug of water into the pot with the grated soap. Cook on medium heat, stirring until the grated soap dissolves.
• Add 1 cup of washing soda and 1 cup of borax and bring to a boil while stirring. Mixture will coagulate.
• Turn off heat and add one 1-gallon jug of water into the pot. Stir well.
• Using the funnel, pour equal amounts of mixture into three 1-gallon jugs. Fill remainder of each jug with water, put on lid, and shake well.

Shake before each use, it may separate if left to sit.
Use 1/2 cup for a regular load, 1 cup for large or heavily soiled load.


Other Important Information:

• Borax, alone, is harmful to animals and children. Follow the directions on the box for safe storage!
• Since this is a low-suds recipe, it is safe for newer washers.
• Instead of regular bar soap, you can buy FELS-Naptha Laundry Bar Soap (Dial Corporation) for better/heavier stain removal. Also, this product boasts its ability to remove poison ivy from skin and clothing.