Homemade Laundry Detergent-Liquid

I am so glad I found this recipe. My whole family seems to have sensitive skin and I was buying a name brand detergent that is fragrance & dye free.  That can get expensive, it's really sad that it costs more for a product that has less ingredients in it but I bought it anyways. Now I will no longer be spending that kind of money. The Fels-Naptha has a scent so I was a little weary of using it but I love the scent and it doesn't have any effect on our sensitive skin. So here is the recipe courtesy of http://thefrugalgirls.com/2010/08/how-to-make-homemade-laundry-detergent.html
I have rewritten it so I could add my own notes.

 

Homemade Laundry Detergent-Liquid (makes 2 gallons)

(Under $0.50 per gallon if I get ingredients from Walmart)

1/2 Cup: Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda {not Baking Soda}

 1/2 Cup: Borax

 1/3 Bar of Fels-Naptha Soap {you could also use Ivory soap, but if using Ivory… use the whole bar}

·        Grate 1/3 bar of Fels-Naptha Soap over large pot or saucepan…

·        Add 6 cups of Water.

·         Heat over medium-high until soap dissolves and melts.

·         Add Washing Soda & Borax, and stir until dissolved.

·         Remove from heat and set aside.

*See notes following instructions: After doing the above as directed, I mixed it differently bcuz I didn’t have a bucket

·        Pour 4 cups Hot Water into bucket, then add Soap Mixture (makes 6 cups of soap mixture)

·         Stir, then add 1 Gallon + 6 Cups of additional water.  Stir.

·        Transfer to a bucket with a lid, or pour into empty laundry detergent containers.

·         Set aside, and let it sit overnight, or up to 24 hours, to thicken and gel up.

·         Consistency and color will vary depending on your soap & water ~ it may be lumpy and watery… kind of like a watery gel, but it works great!

·         Stir or shake before each use, as it will continue to gel.

*Notes: I didn’t have a bucket so I made the soap mixture as directed in the pan, I'm splitting the recipe in half after the cooking stage, then I used these instructions: 

·        Pour 2 cups of hot water into a one gallon container (I used 1 gallon Gatorade containers but 1 gallon milk jugs would work)

·        Add 3 cups of soap mixture

·        Then add 11 cups of water

·        This is one gallon. Do the same with the other 3 cups of soap mixture and that’s your 2^nd gallon.

· Set aside, and let it sit overnight, or up to 24 hours, to thicken and gel up.

· Consistency and color will vary depending on your soap & water ~ it may be lumpy and watery… kind of like a watery gel, but it works great!

· Stir or shake before each use, as it will continue to gel.
 

*I use the measuring cap from my old laundry detergent bottle.  I use the exact same amount of homemade detergent as I did the name brand.

Additional info:

 

I use roughly 1 gallon of laundry detergent a per month. I did the math and found I could make a year's worth (12 gallons) of homemade laundry detergent for the same price as one (1) store bought, name brand 66 load (3quarts 4oz - not even a full gallon) container of laundry detergent. That's just crazy!!!