Homemade Powdered Laundry Detergent
Laundry Can Be Expensive
It's true! Even if you buy your detergent in large quantities, and have an HE washing machine, doing laundry can put a dent in your pocket book. Lately, I've been making changes in my household to try to lessen the cost of cleaning/cleaning products. Since I tend to be a bit of a control freak, I'm also really enjoying knowing what is going into my cleaning products, and knowing that there aren't harsh chemicals hanging out on surfaces my kids touch. Making your own cleaning products is also better for the environment, so that's a good enough reason to at least try it right there.
My latest endeavor in homemade cleaning products is powdered laundry detergent. I use this detergent in my HE washing machine with no problems, so it's definitely compatible with an HE washing machine. Here's how to make it:
Ingredients
- 1c Borax, (sodium borate)
- 1c washing soda, (sodium carbonate)
- 1 bar Fels-Naptha, or other bar soap such as Ivory or Pure and Natural
Instructions
- Using a grater, grate bar soap into a large mixing bowl. Add Borax and washing soda, and stir thoroughly with a wooden spoon. When complete it should be powdery with no large clumps remaining.
- Transfer to whatever container you plan to use for storage.
- Add 1-2Tbsp detergent per load** of laundry.
** In my washing machine 1Tbsp of this works fine for pretty much every average sized load, however if I have a particularly large or soiled load I add 2 Tbsp and usually an extra rinse.
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This dishwasher detergent is not only easy and cheap to make, it is also better for the environment.