How to Make Your Own Laundry Detergent
July 2, 2007 by Karen Weideman
Filed under cleaning, clothes, frugal living, household product, money saving idea
Trent at The Simple Dollar has come up with a recipe for making your own laundry detergent. All you need is a bar of soap, washing soda, Borax, and a 5 gallon bucket. You can make a whole bunch of detergent for just a few cents per gallon and Trent says it works as well as Tide. I think he just liked being able to make a slimy mess in the kitchen with his wife not complaining about it. lol
I did this when we were living in AK, and it did save me money. But after repeated washings, I found that my clothes had a grey tinge to them. So now, I buy the El Cheapo detergent at Wal-Mart and I se half as much as the manufacturer suggests. I do add 1/4 cup of Borax powder to my colors and 1/2 cup to my whites. I also make my own bleach! With Bleach Tabs (also at Wal-Mart) They cost $1.80 and make about 15 gallons of bleach.
This is one of those things that has been on my to-do list, but I haven’t done it. I do use the vinegar for fabric softener, line dry the clothes when possible, and use the inexpensive detergents with a boost of a scoop of baking soda. It seems to work out well!
Amy, a few months ago I started using vinegar for my fabric softener too and I like it. I haven’t made any detergent yet. I would have to leave out the Borax because of my eczema and allergies. I also use vinegar and baking soda to help boost the cleaning power with my whites. I miss the fresh smell of line dried clothes. I can’t use the clothes line because of my allergies. Thanks for commenting!
I used to make a lot of homemade substitute cleaners, etc when I first got into Thrifting years ago. Amy Dacyczyns Tightwad Gazette is a great source of recipes for homemade cleaners, food stuffs, and household products. But once I got my degree in Accounting and learned the basic concept of Opportunity Costs- I had to stop making some of these items. For me sometimes, the time is more valuable then the cost savings of homemade solutions, so I try to always keep in mind where I can obtain consumer goods at the cheapest prices, and it isn’t always Wal-Mart or the Dollar Stores.
What a neat idea. We are going to see if I can actually do this. My sister calls me Lucy (as in I love Lucy) because I do things like turn my husbands socks pink and leave pens in the pockets of his pants. Thanks for the cool tip
Glad you like it Katie. Thanks for visiting.
I’ve seen this recipe a few times but I think I’ve seen it using the Fels Naptha Laundry barsoap that has been shredded (Ivory as a last resort). My Walmart doesn’t carry Fels Naptha, I’ve been looking for it …
I think I’ve seen the Fels Naptha at a grocery store, but I can’t remember which one.
I’ve been thinking of making my own laundry detergent. My skin is so sensitive though. They quite selling Wisk Free and I’m so upset about that. I think the Purex free is aggravating my skin and the Tide free is so expensive! Making my own detergent seems like the best thing to do.