Homemade Laundry Detergent!!

Have you ever looked into what is REALLY in your laundry detergent? Have you ever read the list of ingredients? Do you ever get tired of how much you spend on your over priced cleaner? Well I answered yes to all of these questions. When I realized that I could save a TON of money, and know exactly what was going into my laundry detergent I made the switch. Both of our kiddos have had sensitive skin, and your laundry detergent is the first place the doctor recommends you start.

I am slowly eliminating most of the unneeded chemicals in our lives, and working towards buying locally. I strive to support local businesses, and to keep the money within our community. The more you buy local, and support organic produce, the lower the cost will be in the future. Even if you are only able to buy a couple bananas, it is a start.

This year I decided to give this laundry detergent as a Christmas gift. It is SUPER practical, and it didn't cost a pretty penny. I was able to give an ample amount of it, and still give plenty of other gifts without breaking the bank.

They turned out super cute! I just added a ribbon to the mason jars, and Wa-lah!

Sometimes the best gifts are homemade! It is something I know that they will use.

Here is the super quick and EASY recipe! I'm not kidding when I say this takes me less than 20 minutes to make. The longest part of the process is pouring it into containers.


Homemade Laundry Detergent Process:

What you need:
1/3 of a bar of Fels-Naptha soap
1/2 cup of Borax
1/2 cup of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
1 large 2 gallon bucket
Empty laundry detergent buckets, or a container to store your final product in
**Optional** Essential Oils

1. In a pot, boil 1/3 of a grated Fels-Naptha soap bar and 6 cups of water over medium high heat. If you heat it to fast, it will get very sudsy.
2. Once the soap is dissolved, add the Borax and Washing Soda to the pot. Stir ingredients until everything is dissolved.
3. Remove pot from heat, and let cool.
4. Pour 4 cups of water into the large bucket and add soap mixture. Stir.
5. Add 22 cups (1 gallon + 6 cups) of water to the mixture. Stir.
6. If you would like to add essential oils, this would be where you would do that. I would add 5-10 drops. I enjoy the scent of the Fels-Naptha so I do not add any oil. I add oils to my homemade fabric softener instead.
7. Add the mixture to your containers.

I generally use a cap full when doing laundry. It is totally up to you how much you feel you need. I would say 2 tablespoons tops.

Make sure to shake your container before using. It tends to get a little thick. I try not to fill my containers to full, so that I have room to shake the mixture when I use it.

Enjoy!

-Motivated Mommy Clayton

You can always find me at my Beachbody website!