I ran out of laundry detergent and didn't have any good coupons on hand. I had been seeing some recipes to make your own all over Pinterest so that's just what I decided to do. There are tons of recipes out there and are basically all the same with a few variations here and there. I followed the instructions from the blog Being Creative to Keep My Sanity.
Why make your own? For one, it's cheaper. I spent less than $15 to make about 7 L (that's an estimate but, trust me, it's a lot). Being Creative said that her batch lasted her 9 months and she does about 8 loads of laundry a week. That's about 288 loads of laundry! At that rate, this stuff could last me about 3 years. That's until I have kids and start doing 8 loads a week also :) All the recipes I've looked at say they are safe for HE washers too. Just place the powder in the barrel with the clothes. Lastly, from the reviews I've read, It's seems to be very mild and works well with sensitive skin.
After throwing dinner in the crockpot, I got started.
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Homemade Laundry Powder
- 4 lbs Borax Laundry booster
- 4 lbs Baking Soda
- 4 lbs Washing Soda
- 3 bars of Soap (Ivory, Zote, or Fels Naptha)
- Oxiclean (optional) - I used the store brand
First, you will need to grate the 3 bars of soap. I've heard you can put them in the food processor. I ended up grating it and it went surprisingly fast.
Next, grab a garbage bag and dump all your ingredients in, including the soap. I used about half of the tub of "oxiclean" in my mixture and saved the rest.
Now everything is in the bag and all you have to do is mix it up. See all those clumps? I just held the bag closed with one hand and messaged all the clumps out with the other hand. Be careful not to tear your trash bag while doing this though. So break up all the clumps and mix it together really well.
And you're done! Pretty easy right?
Just scoop it into your storage container(s) and make a pretty label.
Isn't that a lot of detergent!? The two smaller jars are 2L each and the big one has to be about 3.5-4L but I'm really bad at estimating volume. Either way, this will last me forever! The "oxiclean" tub came with a little scooper. You only need to add 1 Tablespoon per load (or 2 if it's really messy).
Now I have my own homemade laundry powder and saved us some money. In the future, I plan to make my own reusable dryer pouches to replace dryer sheets.
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I made a bit of a mess in the process but, luckily, cleaning was next on my to-do list. I had cleaned pretty much every inch of both bathrooms the day before (tip: damp, used dryer sheets work well to remove the hard water build up on the shower doors. I can see through my shower again!) and now it was time to tackle the kitchen, living room, foyer, and eating area. I dusted, cleaned window sills (which I never do until now), then cleaned the floors.Did your mom ever fuss at you for walking on her freshly moped floors? Maybe she was "just on hands and knees cleaning it". I never really understood. They make mops for that these days. Why in the world would you make it harder for yourself?
Well, I've discovered there's no little scrubbing fairy on the end of the mop that can do it like I can. Just like there's no little fairy in the dishwasher and that's why you have to wash dishes before putting them in there. Right mom?
It makes sense to me now. I mopped every inch of tile in my house on my hand and knees. And I mean every inch. I had furniture moved all over the place really getting in every corner. Wet towel in one hand, scrubbing sponge in the other, and the smell of Pine-sol filling the house. I am becoming my mother.
Cleaning assignment for today - the bedrooms. I better get going.
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