I love winter, the fuzzy sweaters, scarves, warm soups and hot toddies. But, and isn't there always a "but", I hate laundry, specifically laundry in the winter!! Is it just me, do you also notice the mega amounts of laundry in the winter? It feels like it takes three times as long to finish (insert groan here). More sweaters, sweatshirts, jeans etc. And is it also just me that feels like I am spending a small fortune on laundry detergent? Seriously, when I see 17+ dollars again, for a big container of detergent, I cringe!
So I finally got around to making my own powdered laundry detergent! I know my sister and her friends have been doing this for quite awhile, but I just got around to it. So here you go! It's loads cheaper (pun intended) and it does a great job!
1 4 lb 12 oz box Borax (2.15 kg or 76 oz) found in the detergent isle
1 4 lb box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda (1.81 kg) found in the cooking isle
1 box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda 55 oz (3 lb 7 oz) found in the detergent isle
3 bars of Fels-naptha soap, found in the detergent isle (you can also use pink Zote soap instead of Fels-naptha)
2 small containers of oxyclean or store brand oxyclean (try to get about 3.5 lbs total (1.58 kg)) found in the detergent isle.
(this is optional, I added it into mine because I'm a freak about white whites)
You should be able to find all of these items at your grocery store.
Start out by grating your Fels-naptha soap just like cheese. You can use a food processor (woohoo!) or just use your hand held grater, what ever you have. Don't worry the Fels-naptha will dissolve in your washer, and yes, even in cold water.
How do I love my food processor...let me count the ways
Toss all ingredients in a 5 gallon bucket lined with a garbage bag. This part makes your whole house smell great. Once everything is mixed, I twisted the bag closed and rolled it around on the floor to mix it up, store soap however you like. I used the empty oxyclean to put a smaller amount in and I used the scoop included to measure the perfect amount for 1 load (2 scoops for heavily soiled loads).
Prettiest pic I ever put on my blog, oh yeah!
This detergent is fairly mild smelling, it is not over powering. If you love a strong scent you may have to add a fabric softener to each load.
Rub-a-dub-dub...laundry detergent in the tub!
This took me all of ten minutes to throw together. And I got to use my favorite food processor (have you seen my other blog? You'll understand). Aaannnnnd, I'm saving a ton of money!
Taa-Daa! I'm Cheap and proud of it!
Namaste ~ LeslieMichele
