Homemade Laundry Detergent

Today, I made another batch of homemade laundry detergent. I just ran out today- though this stuff lasts for a SUPER long time, our family of five also has a LOT of laundry. Like, constant, every day, multiple times a day laundry. Even then, this stuff takes an insanely long time to use up. You only use one tablespoon per load (two if clothes need extra help...) because this stuff has no fillers like store-bought varieties.

Wonderful laundry concoction.

This is the stuff I purchased at Walmart to make it:

The loot!

A 4 lbs box of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda. (I got a HUGE 13 lb bag for about $7-9 at Sams Club for using around the house, and didn't have all of a 4 lb box, so I just measured out 8 1/3 cups from the two.)

A 3 lbs 7oz box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda. (Found in the laundry aisle.)

A 4lbs 12oz box of Borax. (Found in the laundry aisle.)

A 17.6 oz box of Zote white soap flakes. This box is equal to two regular bars of Zote soap. You can hand-grate two pink or white Zote bars instead. If you'd like to hand-grate Fels-Naptha instead, use three bars. Though the flakes are about $.70 more expensive, I prefer them to save time and because I like the lemony scent- I don't care for the scent of Fels-Naptha or the pink Zote. (All this was found in the laundry aisle.)

A container of oxygen-powered cleanser, like the Dirty Jobs brand I used, or Oxy-Clean, etc. Some recipes I've seen call for around 4 lbs, but the container I use is 36 oz, and it did me fine last time. This is the most expensive element of this recipe.

(Optional) Last time I made this recipe, I didn't add any type of scent crystals. The clothes smelled very clean, but didn't really have much of a scent at all. Since I prefer that clean laundry scent, I decided to add some Purex Crystals to this batch. I used a small, 28 oz bottle of crystals. You could use any brand or a larger size, if desired.

My boyfriend was getting onto me because all this stuff looks EXPENSIVE! He was convinced I paid way too much- and WAY more than what I would've spent on regular store-bought detergent. This is the cost breakdown:

Borax: $3.38
Super Washing Soda: $3.24
Zote Flakes: $2.64
Dirty Jobs powder: $5.94
Purex Crystals: $4.76
Baking Soda: about $3 ($6.68 for 13.5 lbs- only 4 lbs used)

HA! So, take that, Jason! I spent just about $20 for the whole thing! (You could walk away for about $15 if you didn't add the scent crystals.)

Just open all the boxes up, pour everything together, and mix. I recommend doing this outside or in the garage, as a fine powder cloud will ensue! The first time, I mixed in an empty plastic tote bin. This time, I used an aluminum turkey fryer pot. Mix until everything's uniform and pour into a container. I got my container from Walmart in the Rubbermaid aisle the last time I made this, and it was no more than $6. I love the lid! You can open a spout to pour, or flip it up to scoop. I just store it with a tablespoon measurer inside, and open to scoop.

My awesome flip-top container.

That's it!!! At 1-2 tablespoons per load, this stuff will last a VERY LONG TIME. Well, I'm off to do laundry. Enjoy!!

On a side note, my next large purchase will be an Electrolux front-load washer and dryer set. I can't wait! Our work pants are constantly coming out missing a metal closure tab or two, boyfriend's brand new work shirts come out missing buttons, and my dryer has been known to eat a camisole strap every once in a while (like tonight!)