Laundry on a Dime

HELLO!

Just because we've been MIA online doesn't mean things haven't been hopping around here! We've been busy soaking up some occasional nice weather (photos to come soon) and trying new things.

You see, a few months ago we received a gift of homemade cleaning products from Bob's extremely crafty and clever sister, Mara. Well, we loved the homemade laundry detergent she included SO much that as soon as we ran out this week, we decided to make some more. Lucky for us, she included the recipe!

In the spirit of keeping life fun, creative and inexpensive, I'm passing the goods on to you! The recipe is super simple and literally cost less than $20.00 to make. That might sound steep up front but this batch makes enough laundry detergent for 1000+ loads!

Benefits of making your own detergent:

1. You know exactly what's in it

2. You can control the scent (or lack thereof)

3. It saves TONS of money

4. It lasts and lasts and lasts, shortening that shopping list

5. It's super fun! (It completely satisfied my craft craving)

Here's the recipe:

4 lb. 12 oz. box Borax

4 lb. box Baking Soda

3 lb. 7 oz. box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda

3 bars Fels-Naptha or Pink-Zote soap

(can be found with other bar hand soaps, such as dial, dove etc.)

3 lb. tub of Oxy Clean

How To:

Grate the Fels-Naptha into a large container.

Add remaining ingredients and stir.

VOILA!

We stored ours in a large plastic container designed to store loose cereal. We threw in the complimentary Oxy Clean scooper for convenience and siphoned off a smaller amount to store in a separate container in the actual laundry room (it just makes so much). You could alter this recipe by adding some essential oils for more fragrance, powder fabric softener, etc. We have a house with rather sensitive skin and therefore are sticking to the basics.

Side note: We've even been using this on our finicky cloth diapers and it works very well.

Please let me know if you try it, I'd love to hear what you think.

Happy Weekend Frugal People!