Friday, June 4, 2010

Homemade laundry detergent

What kind of laundry detergent do you use? What do you like and dislike about it? I know, that's not really cooking related... but...

I've been meaning to share this recipe with you for a while. I've been making my own laundry detergent for about 6 months now. It works so well, is environmentally friendly and saves us money. I find it does a great job in removing odors and stains from our clothes-- just as much, or better than store bought detergents.

This has been a great success in our household and I encourage you to try it in yours!


Homemade Laundry Detergent

1 bar fels naptha soap (your preference, you could use ivory too), grated   (hand soap aisle)
1 cup washing soda  (laundry aisle)
1 cup baking soda  (baking aisle)
1 cup borax   (laundry aisle)

Grate 1 bar of fels naptha soap into a airtight container.You can grate it using a box grater or a food processor. I didn't want to risk damage to my food processor so I used a box grater. Add in the washing soda, baking soda and borax. Close the lid and shake well. If you desire, you can add a few drops of essential oils to give it a fragrance.

To use:  Place 2 teaspoons of detergent in with your clothes (or in the detergent section of your washing machine). I use a few tablespoons of vinegar as fabric softener. That can be added to either your fabric softener section or in a downey ball and tossed in with  your laundry.

Above in the ingredient list I wrote in parenthesis where I found each item... it may be different for your store, but at least it gives you a destination to look.

Pictures so you can identify them in store (you all know what baking soda looks like so I will skip that):





1 comment:

  1. I'm a new follower and excited about seeing your updates. Saturday I went to our farmers market and bought some homemade laundry detergent and turned to my husband and said I really should learn how to make this and so I say thank you! http://nicolesspirit878.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete