I'm Not a Dirty Hippie: Laundry Detergent or The One Where I Plagiarize My Own Self Again

In the excitement of my first guest post, I almost forgot about my on-going series. I shall now proceed to copy a post I did on my old blog. I had also linked it on Facebook and it was wildly popular and people wept and threw flowers at me and kissed my hands and shed tears. OK not really, but I DID have a lot of people try it and like it. I've made many, many converts of the homemade laundry detergent. Not only is it more eco-friendly, this stuff is dang cheap! So now, without further adieu:

"Homemade Laundry Detergent"

I've had people curious about this, so I decided to post step-by-step instructions - complete with photos a la Pioneer Woman - on how to make it. One bucket of this stuff lasts me for AGES so the chance to do this doesn't come around very often. This stuff is INSANELY economical and takes very little time. PLUS it comes out looking very much like a large pinkish loogie, so I know you'll REALLY want to make it now!




These are you ingredients: Borax, washing soda, and soap. Note about the soda: You MUST MUST MUST buy the kind that says "Washing Soda" NOT "Baking Soda." Trust me, I know from experience. I currently own a box of baking soda that will last me from now until the end of the century (10/21/10 UPDATE: Click HERE to see how I'm using up all that baking soda), should I need it that long, and had to throw out my first batch of detergent because it never gelled. If you EVEN know how frugal I am then you know how much that hurt me. Anyways, for the science minded, Washing Soda (or soda ash) is sodium CARbonate and looks like this:

Baking soda is sodium BIcarbonate and looks like this:



I KNEW that would clear that up for you! You're welcome.

As for the soap, you can use any type of laundry soap, such as Fels-Napta, or Ivory. I use Zote, but plan on looking for something more natural and organic after I use up my current bar. I think anywhere from 4.5 - 6 oz of soap will work. You can usually find Borax and Washing Soda in the laundry section of most any grocery store or supercenter. I've never been able to find the washing soda at Wal-Mart, though. As for the laundry soap, it may be a little harder to find besides the Ivory. I've heard that you can find Fels-Naptha at Ace Hardware, and I found my Zote soap at Save-Alot. The bar is big enough to get three uses out of.

First, grate the soap. I used a cheese grater but I wonder if a food processor would work as well. Let me know if you try it and it works.



Heat on medium-low in a pot of water until the soap is completely melted, stirring frequently.



While you're waiting for it to melt, add 1 cup of washing soda...



And 1/2 cup of Borax to a five gallon bucket. I've seen empty five-gallon buckets and lids at Wal-Mart and Lowe's.



When the soap has finished melting, pour into the bucket with the powders. Fill the bucket with hot water until it is a couple of inches from the top, stirring continuously.





Have your strapping, virile husband haul it to the laundry room for you, so he has a chance to show off his biceps for the camera. (And ignore the mess in the background, thank you.)

In the morning you have a bucket full off...PINK LOOGIE!!!



Fill a clean, empty laundry detergent container (just save the last one you bought) halfway full with pink loogie and fill the rest of the way with water.

For top-loading machines use 5/8 cup per large load, and for side-loading energy efficient machines use 1/4 cup. I have a regular laundry machine, but I've heard that it works great for energy efficient machines because it doesn't make a lot of suds.

It's a lot of fun to make your own laundry detergent if you're a science geek like me, and even if you're not, you should try it anyway if you're looking for a way to reduce your grocery bill. It cost me around $10 for the ingredients, not counting the bucket, and you can make many batches with each batch making 10 gallons. It also reduces waste, because it cuts down on the number of plastic containers being used. So far everyone I know that has tried it has liked it. Let me know how it turns out!