So some of the things I've been trying to learn about is DIY stuff for around the home and also living green (or in our case, just
kinda crunchy). I like the idea of not leaving
as much of a mess of our world behind for Penny, but I'm not going to lie, I
LOVE the idea of saving money! I am
ALL about saving a few pennies here and there. Thanks to
Pinterest, I get new ideas every day! My first stop in this adventure... homemade laundry detergent. At first I was a little skeptical of the idea, but after doing some research and figuring out a recipe that would work for us, I did it and I am
never going back! I've had a few bumps along the way, but once I figured out the problems, I have our laundry routine down pat. Unfortunately, I didn't take pictures of the process when I did it, so I will have to update at a later time when I actually need to make more detergent. But for now here is the recipe I used!
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~ Homemade Laundry Detergent ~
What you will need:
~ 1 Bar of Fels-Naptha Soap
~ 1 and a 1/2 Cups Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
~ 1 and a 1/2 Cups Borax
(Quick Note: I found all of the above at my local Wal-Mart)
~ Saucepan or large pot
~ 6 gallon (or larger) container for mixing
~ Storage container(s) for finished detergent
What to do:
1. Finely grate Fels-Naptha soap bar. The finer it's grated, the easier it will melt.
2. Bring 6 cups of water to a slow simmer in a saucepan/large pot. Add grated soap and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. In mixing container pour in 10 cups of hot water. Add in the washing soda and Borax, then mix together. Now add in the melted soap mixture and mix again until combined. Add in 5 gallons of water, then stir again.
4. Transfer to your storage container of choice (we used 6, gallon sized, juice containers). Let sit between 12 and 24 hours to thicken. Shake before use as it tends to gel up.
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This recipe makes about 6 gallons worth of detergent. We use 1 cup worth of detergent for our extra large load.
Also, this is a low-sudsing detergent so it is safe to use in HE machines!
Like I said before, this is the recipe that works best for our family. Find out what works best for you and let me know!
Also check out:
~
DIY Homemade Laundry Softener
~
DIY Homemade Cloth Diaper Detergent, Cloth Wipes, and Wipe Solution
Credit:
The Frugal Girls
