1/2 C washing soda
1/2 C Borax
1/3 bar of Ivory soap, grated
In a large pot, heat 6 cups of water; add grated soap and stir until dissolved. Add washing soda and Borax and stir until dissolved. Remove pot from heat.
In a clean 2 gallon pail, pour 4 cups of hot water and add heated soap mixture. Top pail with one gallon + 6 cups of cold water; stir well.
Use 1/2 cup per load, stirring detergent before use.
After my friend Sarah M. posted a detergent recipe, I became very curious about the idea of making such a product at home. While I’m not exactly a frugal woman, I knew making my own detergent would save a lot of money. But the biggest draw in my eyes was the number of ingredients. I’m concerned about all the weird chemicals in our home environments these days and I’ve slowly become more interested in using simple products to accomplish household tasks. I still like spraying 409 on the kitchen counters, so don’t suspect me of turning super granola or anything. ; )
I used this page as a reference and ended up visiting the Duggar family site (afterall, their kids look clean, don’t they?!). If you dig around the world wide web using Google you’ll find a lot more information on the financial savings of homemade detergent. I’m also going to post the (inedible) recipe to Needs More Butter for easy referencing in the future.
Final note: Arm & Hammer Washing Soda isn’t the easiest product to find. I check about six different stores before finally locating it, ahem, at my grocery store three miles down the road. Wish I had looked there first!
11 Comments
Melissa Marsh Nov 11, 2009 10:17 AM
Rebecca, I think you would LOVE this website. This gal makes her own laundry detergent, cans, bakes, and just about everything else. PLUS, she has lots of adorable farm animals! She used to be a suburban housewife – now she’s a West Virginia farmer!
http://www.suzannemcminn.com
Sarah B. Nov 11, 2009 1:24 PM
Good for you! This is the exact recipe I used for about a year (and had on my now-dead blog!). I did stop using it recently, though. The obvious reason would be b/c of the new baby right? Nope. When I was pregnant, I began reacting allegically to the borax (had my chiro test me on it, the who treats our allergies). I then did more research on borax and found out that it’s not as “natural” as I once thought. I am curious and interested in trying “soap nuts.” If you google, I’m sure you’ll find lots of info. In the meantime, I’ve tried a couple of brands from whole foods with good results.
So anyway, just a tip to watch out for any allergic reactions to your homemade goodness. :)And what a great idea for your detergent storage container!!
Rebecca Nov 11, 2009 6:47 PM
I was cautious at first as I had a hive-like reaction to cheap detergent years ago in St. Louis, but we’ve been using the homemade stuff since August with great results. I did some reading on Borax and it seems like a good ingredient—but it also sounds like skin reactions are quite common. Sarah M. mentioned soap nuts, too. I’m fascinated by the concept!
Erin Nov 12, 2009 3:40 AM
I had read that about Borax as well. I was going to try that “recipe” but started looking for different “recipes”…that and I couldn’t find washing soda anywhere here and I figured it definitely wouldn’t be cost efficent if I had it shipped over.This is a site I found with different recipes: http://tipnut.com/10-homemade-laundry-soap-detergent-recipes/
Also we have a soap berry (soap nut) tree here in Hawaii and I had no idea you could actually use it as soap. I might have to give that a try…plus it would be free!
Bethany Nov 12, 2009 9:06 AM
I am intrigued, but I was also wondering too about the gentleness on skin, with the baby on the way and all. We’ll have to be making some kind of detergent switch, but it seems like the baby-friendly ones at the store are pretty expensive, so I’d be interested in making my own. Anyone know if there are any recipes specifically that are for sensitive little baby skin? Maybe this soap nuts stuff?
Rebecca Nov 12, 2009 12:26 PM
We used All Free & Clear when Liv was an infant.
Sarah M Nov 16, 2009 1:08 PM
YES! Way to try it out R.T.! We actually don’t use this anymore since the rental we’re in for a short period doesn’t have a washer./dryer. I have to go places and I am NOT interested in carrying around a bucket of this stuff, plus kids, and laundry. For the time being we love ARM&HAMMER (brand loyal gal that I am… :)
WE ALSO LOVE SOAP NUTS!!
Sarah M
pS-let me know what you think of that book!
Evil Uncle Adam Nov 19, 2009 5:06 PM
“Natural” is not better than “manufactured” folks. Soap is soap is soap. Obviously, if you’re allergic, you have my sympathy. I use hypoallergenic soap, too! But really… does it get your clothes clean? If it’s soap nuts, do you have a hand in the manufacturing process? Are they using chemicals to protect their berry harvest? Is it made in some southeast Asian nation (Indonesia) with a crappy track record of environmentalism? At least my soap’s just… soap!
judy Dec 9, 2009 9:19 AM
I just recently started making the homemade detergent recipe. My kids ended up having some eye funk in which I took them to the Dr and they were diagnosed as pink eye. However, in the end I do not believe it was pink eye simply because it came and went several times on its own. I then wondered if it was some type of an allergic reaction to the homemade detergent I had been using for a few weeks. Anyone ever had this problem?
Julie Feb 26, 2010 9:36 AM
I’ve been using the homemade laundry detergent, but with Fels Naptha rather than ivory. My mother gave me the first gallon. She has been using it for about 3 months, my brother has been using it for about 2 months and I’ve been using it for a month. No skin allergies reported and my mother and brother both have sensitive skin. The receipt works great on my boyfriend’s work clothes. He pours concreet and does methanic work. LOVE IT!!!
Rebecca Feb 26, 2010 3:05 PM
I just took a break from detergent production and bought a big container of All. : ) But I do like the homemade stuff and will continue to make it (when I’m not feeling lazy, that is).
Also, the cheapo Walmart container pictured above is, well, cheap. We’ve since ruptured two containers and need to find a bucket to contain the soap. I imagine a more expensive water container would work just fine.