Homemade Laundry detergent

I love the Duggars! I love the full quiver idea and I love laundry...OK well I guess I don't love laundry. But, I am a huge fan of making laundry easier and more cost effective for my family. This is probably not an EASIER option but, it is more cost effective and if you are a little goofy, like myself, you will think grating soap with your amazing food processor is fun!

So here is what I've learned over the last few months. Making powdered detergent is easy, it gets clothes clean, and yes I use it on my cloth diapers!! NO fancy pants high price detergent for my kids bum. Just homemade goodness. On a side note, I have a friend that used this recipe on her cloth diapers for over a year. She loved it and said she never had problems with ammonia build up or staining.

I use this recipe:    

Powdered Laundry Detergent - Top load machine

1   Fels-Naptha soap bar
1  Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*
½  Cup Borax

-Grate soap or break into pieces and process in a food processor until powdered. Mix all ingredients. For light load, use 1 Tablespoon. For heavy or heavily soiled load, use 2 Tablespoons. Yields: 3 Cups detergent. (Approx. 40 loads)

*Arm & Hammer "Super Washing Soda" - in some stores or may be purchased online here (at Meijer.com). Baking Soda will not work, nor will Arm & Hammer Detergent - It must be sodium carbonate!!

**** Side note: For my cloth diapers, I have a HE LG front loading washing machine. I used the same amount of detergent recommended in this recipe but, I add extra water to the wash and rinse cycle. Also, I add the extra rinse cycle too.

So, my steps to washing cloth diapers are:

1. Dump all diapers in HE LG  washer, wash on normal cycle, cold/cold, water plus, extra rinse with NO DETERGENT.

2. Second wash 1 or 2 Tbsp detergent, wash on normal cycle hot/cold, water plus, extra rinse. 

3. Dry in dryer..(I know, stop glaring at me, I will be replacing all my Velcro soon) or hang outside on a clothes line. Outside is best because the sun natural bleaches out staining. 

****Side note number two: Guess what! After 2 months, I realized my washer has a rinse and spin cycle option. So, now I use this button instead of washing the diapers on a normal cycle without detergent for Step. 1 

I have not tried this recipe but it looks like a goodie!  

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine- best value

4  Cups - hot tap water
1  Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*
½ Cup Borax

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)

-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

*Arm & Hammer "Super Washing Soda" - in some stores or may be purchased online here (at Meijer.com). Baking Soda will not work, nor will Arm & Hammer Detergent - It must be sodium carbonate!!

TIPS FOR LAUNDRY SOAP: Use Fels-Naptha  bar soap in the homemade soap recipes, but you can use Ivory, Sunlight, Kirk's Hardwater Castile or Zote bars. Don't use heavily perfumed soaps. I buy Fels-Naptha from Wegmans. Washing Soda and Borax can often be found on the laundry or cleaning aisle. Recipe cost approx. $2 per batch.