I've been trying to change some various things in my life to be a little more eco-friendly. One that I am so excited about is LAUNDRY DETERGENT! Our grandmothers used to do it, why not us? It seriously takes 5 minutes to make so I thought I would share the secret ingredients:
Washing Soda (This is not baking soda. It can be found in the laundry detergent isle at your local grocery store, but I could not find it at Walmart) Cost: around $3.00
Borax (Also found in the laundry detergent isle) Cost: $2.39
Bar of Body Soap (Any kind you want)
A 5 gallon bucket to store it in.
And this is how you make it
1) Bring 4 cups of water to ALMOST boiling over stove top.
2)While waiting, shave your bar of soap like you are grating cheese (this helps the soap to dissolve faster).
3)Then dissolve all your soap into the water.
4) Put 3 gallons of hot water in a 5 gallon bucket.
5) Mix the hot soapy water from step 1 and stir for a while.
6) Add 1 cup of washing soda, stir.
7) Then add 1/2 C Borax and stir. Let it cool over night.
Use 1 cup of detergent for a full load and it is safe in HE washers. All the reviews I have read say it works as good as Tide. I agree 100% I was a faithful Tide user unil I learned about all the toxic and harmful chemicals that are used in most laundry detergents. Your clothes don't come out smelling perfumy, but if you are that kind of person just add some essential oils. The cheap ones like Aura Cacia would be good.
So after you let it set over night you will find that it has some runny and chunky consistencies to it. It doesn't matter if the cup you add to your load is all runny or all chunky, it's all the same. It is a lot of fun to make and you will also find that you still have a ton of washing soda and borax left over, so the the two boxes you spent $6 on will make many batches and someone figured it averaged to be about $.05 a load. Don't quote me on that because I didn't figure it myself. Amazing huh? If any of my directions are confusing just google it. There is a lot of info out there.
You can also make your own fabric softener with baking soda, vinegar, and water. Static clothes bug me bad, so this is another eco-friendly solution. Try and enjoy. You'll never go back!
