Homemade Laundry Detergent

Hey Loves!

Rissa here with another great tip!

So for over a year now I have been making my own powder laundry detergent and I have to say it's been working pretty good for us! Now I will be completely honest though and say that I do have sort of a love/hate relationship with making my own detergent, mainly because I just don't care for grating the soap (you'll see what I mean when you read the steps).  Now as far as the reasons why I decided to start making my own laundry detergent....well for starters I know what's in it, there are no hidden ingredients and harsh chemicals that are not only bad for our skin but are also bad for the environment. The next reason is because it saves money. In my opinion I feel this recipe is less expensive than store bought natural/organic laundry detergents especially with the amount of laundry we do around here, having two toddlers in the house means LOTS of laundry. Matter of fact it's something that I have to do DAILY yes I said daily!

So enough blabbering lets get into this recipe! (recipe adapted from www.savvybrown.com)

What you'll need:

• 2 Cup Borax
• 2 Cup Washing Soda
• 1 Bar Laundry Soap i.e. Fels Naptha Laundry Soap *Dr. Bronners Castille Bar soap and Ivory soap good options too
• 10-15 drops Lavender Essential Oil
• Cheese Grater and Bowl
• Wide Mouth Container and 1 Tbsp. Scoop

Borax $4-$5 at Ace Hardware or Target

Washing Soda $4-$5 at Ace Hardware

Laundry Soap $3-$4 at Ace Hardware

Lavender EO $5-$15 at Vitacost

Box grater I think I got this from Target but here's one on Amazon for $12

 My container of choice is an old Similac Formula container it's perfect because it has an attached lid as well as an attached 1 Tbsp scoop that conveniently fastens to the inside of the lid! *Tip: Write the instructions on the front of the container and the ingredients needed on the back for quick referencing when it is time to do laundry and replenish your stash*

What to do:

1. Grate the bar of soap (uggh I'm getting annoyed just thinking about it LOL) *I normally do this tedious step while watching t.v. and sipping on a glass of Merlot yes it is that serious.
2. Combine Borax and Washing Soda in your container and shake to mix well
3. Add grated soap and shake again to mix it all up
4. Add Lavender EO and shake well again

How to use:

• 1 Tbsp - small load
• 2 Tbsp - medium load
• 3 Tbsp - large load

Price Breakdown:

• Borax $5
• Washing Soda $5
• Laundry Soap $5
• Lavender EO $5

Total Cost= $20
So that's about  17 cents per load after using the entire box of both the Borax and Washing Soda.
*Ecover Laundry Detergent averages about 45cents per load

This recipe makes 4 Cups of detergent that's an average of about 22 large loads of laundry and you will have tons of Borax and Washing Soda left over to replenish your stash!

So there ya have it! I hope this helps you.
Happy laundry doing!

Do you make your own laundry detergent?