Saturday Chores- Homemade Laundry Detergent

Allow me to introduce you to one of the best decisions I've made for my household-homemade laundry detergent. I'd heard a lot about this stuff over the past year or so (perhaps you have also), but always decided that I didn't have time to try it. Well, moving into a home has kicked my homemaker gene into gear I guess, and this laundry detergent is one of the easiest ways to make a positive lifestyle change. Not to mention it has actually seemed to get our clothes cleaner and they smell just as nice (if not better!) too. I made a dry detergent, which just means that I have to dissolve it in a bit of water before each load, but that really isn't any extra trouble and it's worth it for all the buckets of money I'm saving. 

Here is what you will need for your own batch of laundry detergent!

All of the ingredients are right next to each other in walmart's laundry aisle. I tried to find them at Target first (yes, I am a walmart snob, I do not like to shop there unless forced...) but Target didn't have the washing soda. There is borax, washing soda (not baking soda), and Fels-Naptha soap. You can use any bar soap that you like, if you want to choose your scent. I have fallen completely in love with Fels-Naptha though for its stain removing power. I've already tried it on my vintage clothing and it takes out stains like a champ. All I have to do is wet the stain, rub the bar on the stain and massage it in, and then rinse the garment with water or wash it in the machine. It took out forty year old grease stains, so I'm on board!

Mixture is:

1 Bar of Soap of your choice

1 Cup Borax

1 Cup Washing Soda

Equipment includes a blender, one cup measuring cup, a grater, and a bowl to mix it in. 

Use the grater to grate your bar of soap. My grater doesn't have the best size holes. You don't want to use the very small holes because the soap won't grate, it will just gum up. I use the larger holes and then blend the mixture at the end, so it ends up turning out alright. 

Now add your 1 cup each of washing soda and borax. 

 Because the soap is in such large pieces, you will want to use the blender to make it a bit finer so it will dissolve in your machine. I use the blender on chop setting until the mixture resembles cornmeal.

Your mixture should look about like this:

My friends, that is IT! Can you believe how easy that was? Now put the mixture in an old container of sorts and you have a much more inexpensive, earth friendly way to clean your clothing! 

Here is how I use the detergent: I saved and washed an old yogurt container that I keep down in my laundry room, along with a tablespoon measuring spoon. Each time I wash a load of clothes I put a tablespoon of the mixture into the container and run some hot water over it to dissolve it a bit, then pour it in my machine! Depending on your machine, you may have to use a different method, but it works great with my toploader. 

I hope you can all give this a shot because I love it :) 

Enjoy!

God Bless, 

KJA

Philippians 2:14-15

 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky