DIY Laundry Powder

I personally have been making a lot of products at home for the past 9 months or so and this was one of the first things I made.  I have made one batch since and that will probably last me the next 9 months depending on if I give any out or not.  I say that because I gave small amounts to skeptics and they loved it!

Below is the recipe courtesy of One Good Thing by Jillee for making a year's worth for about $30.00*.  The text in red in approximate pricing. 

3 bars Fels Naptha, grated ($1.33 x 3)
1 box Borax  ($5.85  -  76 ounces)
1 box Washing Soda ($4.07  -  55 ounces)
2 cups of baking soda ($0.53 cents)
2 containers of Dollar Tree Oxyclean (any dollar store…$1 or $2.00 each)
1-2 containers of Purex fabric softener crystals ($6.97  -  28 ounces) 

Use 2 tablespoons per load. Put it right in the barrel if you have an HE washer.

I use a cheese grater to grate the bars of soap, but you can also use a food processor.  Just cut the bar into chunks, DO NOT LEAVE IT WHOLE.  I would offer one tip though if you decide to use your food processer to “grate” your soap: add something else to the bowl to aid in the process. I add some "oxyclean" to each bar when I processed it. It seemed to help the blades do their job better.

My only other tip for this recipe has to do with the “mixing”.  There is a lot to get mixed so I use a giant plastic container (30 lb dog food container) and shake all the ingredients together.  If you make half a batch at a time and then incorporate it, it might be easier.  And no I do not use the container for the dog's food, I had an extra.

*how much you get out of this depends on your family size and how often you do laundry.



Have you ever made your own laundry detergent and if so, was it liquid or powder?  How to you like it compared to commercial brands?  Please comment and let me know.