I think anyone would (or at least should) be interested in spending less money when possible. After all…why not have a little more money in your pocket just in case…? I stumbled on a way to make homemade laundry detergent, tried it, and was impressed. Very impressed, that is! Enough to want to share the tip with you! Here’s the recipe…

Homemade Powdered Laundry Detergent

1 bar soap (REAL soap, that is…not a “beauty bar”) (Fels-Naptha [found in the laundry detergent isle], Ivory, and Kirk’s Castile soap are possible [but not all] options)

1 cup borax

1 cup washing soda (NOT baking soda…washing soda is found in the laundry isle)

To make your detergent is really simple. Grate the bar of soap as finely as you can. It could be grated with a hand grater, or chopped finely with a knife. After the initial grating, put it in a food processor to get it as finely grated as possible. Then add the borax and washing soda. Process until mixture is a fine powder.

That’s it! Store it in a tightly sealed container.

Use 1 to 2 tablespoons in a regular washing machine. Use 1 tablespoon in a high-efficiency washer. For an extremely dirty or heavy load, up to 1-1/2 tablespoons in a HE washer, but no more.

This powder will go a LONG way and costs far less than commercial detergents.

Tips for use

* Grate your soap as finely as possible. Many people use a hand grater to do the job then finish the work in a food processor. However you do it, the finer the soap is grated, the faster it will dissolve in the washer.

* Note that this detergent does not produce a lot of bubbles, so it is excellent for HE washers. Despite that, it cleans exceptionally well, so don’t fret over bubble-less water.

* My recipe above is unscented. Your clothes will have no smell when finished. If you prefer to have your laundry smelling like rain, the tropics, oranges, or whatever, add 3 to 5 drops of essential oil of your choice to the food processor when combining the grated soap, borax and washing soda. Be sure to store the finished detergent in a container with a tight fitting lid.

* The detergent may be added dry to your washing machine. However, if you prefer using a liquid and feel more comfortable having the soap granules dissolved beforehand, place about 1/2 cup of very hot to boiling water in a small bowl. Add 1 tablespoon detergent. Stir and allow it to sit about 5 minutes for the soap to dissolve. Stir the mixture and place it in the washer according to the manufacturer’s directions. When doing more than one load, start the next load’s detergent dissolving while the current load is being washed. That will avoid any delay in getting your laundry washed.

* Use 1/2 cup of white vinegar in your fabric softener dispenser of your washing machine. This will help keep any residue of soap from accumulating on your laundry and the machine.

Check out the video below to see the process. Judi