Homemade

I had so many friends asking about what recipes I use to make our homemade laundry detergent and fabric softener that I decided to put it on here!  I hope this helps someone out and saves your family some money!! :)

I started researching making our own detergent and softener because I was a little weary about having all of those chemicals around Isabella, it is a lot cheaper than buying it already made at the store, and because I had heard from a couple friends that had already converted (saying how much cheaper it was!) and it came highly recommended. 

A general Google search yielded both of the recipes I use.  I found them on a frugality website: TipNut.  I didn't have a reason to alter the recipes, as they work perfectly for us.  Each header is the link to the page where I found it.  Feel free to browse around more, as the site has tons more information than just the recipes I use!!

-------------------------------------------------
 Laundry Detergent

 (makes 288 ounces)
1 quart (4 cups) water- boiling
2 cups Fels-Naptha bar soap (1 bar of soap)
2 cups Borax
2 cups Washing Soda
2 gallons water- hot
5 gallon bucket with lid

Finely shred/grate the bar of soap until you have 2 cups (my bar of soap just equaled 2 cups).

Boil 1 quart of water.  Add grated soap to the boiling water and reduce heat to low.  Let simmer until all soap has dissolved, stir occasionally.

Add boiling mixture to a large bucket (this can bought at Wal-Mart, Home Depot, etc for less than $4.00, or better yet, use one you already have!).  Add Borax, Washing Soda and 2 gallons of water, hot-not boiling (32 cups) to the mixture.  Stir repeatedly until all parts are mixed.

Close lid- you're finished!

Stir before each load.  Use 1/4 cup per load.

The whole process takes about 30 minutes from start (grating) to finish (closing the lid)!

I have plenty of Borax and Washing Soda left over (at least enough to make 3-4 more recipes of detergent).

All of the ingredients for this laundry detergent recipe can be found at your local grocery store.  Giant has every item needed all in a nice little 3 foot space in the laundry aisle. :)

-------------------------------------------------
Fabric Softener

(makes 32 ounces)
1 part (1 cup) Baking Soda
1 part (1 cup) Vinegar
2 parts (2 cups) hot water

You can use an old fabric softener bottle for this one- yay for spending less money!

If the whole "parts" thing throws you for a loop, just use the cups.  That happens to be what fills up my softener bottle.

Mix Baking Soda and water in large bowl/bucket.  Stir until Baking Soda has dissolved.  Add Vinegar to mixture (they will fizz and react, so make sure the container is bigger than what you are mixing, to allow for fizz). 

Once it stops fizzing, pour into your container.

Shake bottle well before each use (be careful when you open the lid that it doesn't overflow, as the mixture will fizz again).  Use 1/8 cup per load.

I also have plenty of Baking Soda and Vinegar left over for another use (or two depending on how big the bottle and package is that you buy).
-------------------------------------------------

How Much Does It Save???

Here is how much it costs to create each one (assuming you don't have the ingredients at your house and you need to buy each at the store- new), versus buying it at the store already made (Tide and Downy).  Also, the break-down per load that it costs you to convert to homemade. I might add that it took me twice as long to do all the math required to make this post as it did to actually MAKE THE PRODUCT! :)  Thought you'd get a chuckle out of that one- I guess I am a true English major. ;)

Laundry Detergent
I used to buy Tide Liquid Detergent 150 oz. for approximately $17.00 to $20.00 depending on whether or not it was on sale (my goal was always on sale, plus a coupon).

Here is what it now costs us for liquid laundry detergent ingredients:

Fels-Naptha (1 bar- 5.5 oz.)  $0.89
Borax (76 oz.) $3.59
Washing Soda (55 oz.)  $1.79

Grand Total: $6.27 or $2.17 per batch!!

Fabric Softener
I used to buy Downy softener (any scent) 41 oz. for $5.49 at Giant (sale price between $3.00 to $5.00, plus a coupon).

Here is what it now costs us for fabric softener ingredients:

Baking Soda (8 oz.) $0.43
Vinegar 16 oz. (white) $0.89

Grand Total: $1.32 or $0.88 per batch!!

Here is the break-down per load for our family:

Laundry Detergent (288 oz.) 144 loads
Fabric Softener (32 oz.) 32 loads

Savings Homemade vs. store-bought brands:
Laundry Detergent $ 0.0275 vs. $ 0.1339 per load
Fabric Softener $0.0151 vs $0.267 per load

CHA-CHING! :)

-------------------------------------------------
I hope this helps someone out- please message me if you have any questions!

Be Blessed.