Laundry Today or Naked Tomorrow- DIY Laundry Detergent

Since we moved into this house it seems as if we've accumulated 6 times as much laundry and I cant seem to understand why or how.

Now that there's more laundry, it means more loads of fun right? No! Absolutely not! It simply means more expensive detergent and very painful folding sessions.

About 10 months ago I got this crazy idea (from Pinterest) to make my own laundry detergent, mainly to cut costs, and then to see if it would actually clean. So the best recipe of them all came from One Good Thing By Jillie. It was one of the easiest versions. However mostly all of the recipes had the same basic, very cost effective ingredients: Fels Naptha bar soap, Borax, and Arm & Hammer Washing Soda.

I altered my recipe after a few trials. The first batch was really thick, the second was too thin, and now I think I have this one juuuussssstttt right.

Here's my recipe for what I call "BB's Ultra Detergent":

Start with all your ingredients:

1.5 bars of grated Fels Naptha soap
1.5 cups 20 Mule Team Borax
1.5 cups Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
1.5 cups Dawn ultra concentrated dish detergent (blue only)
Measuring cup
Funnels
3-1 gallon jugs

First grate up all your soap. This may take some time so do it while watching tv. Or use two different blades on the mandolin like I did. Be very careful!

After the soap is all grated, put it in a big pot with about 7-8 cups of water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium. I used a wooden spoon to stir it until the soap dissolves well. Please don't go far from this pot because the soap will boil over quick.

Next add in the Borax and Washing Soda. It'll thicken a bit. Bring it back up to a boil until its all dissolved. Then remove from heat.

Now sit your empty jugs in the sink and fill with funnels. The mess of cleaning up liquid soap is not fun. No exact measurements, just fill each of them equally.

Finally you add water to the jugs and give them a shake. You may see some separation but that's ok. The solution will thicken overnight.

Now please note the following: 

1. This detergent will not suds up like commercial detergents because its actual soap and not a bunch of added sudsing agents.

2. This will not smell like a field of flowers nor some imaginary tropical vacation, oh and no juices and berries. This detergent has a clean smell, not super fragrant. For the fragrance I sometimes add Purex crystals to the wash separately. *when I added it to the mix, one time it didn't dissolve and the next time the detergent was really thin. Another alternative can be to add Gain in your favorite scent in place of the ultra concentrated Dawn soap.

This detergent last us at least 3 months. I use a full cup to a cup and a half depending on how soiled the laundry is (save the cup from the last time you bought Gain or Tide).

Another tip for when I wash Pup's gym clothes, I add about a tablespoon extra of the Borax and Washing Soda for a boost.

I hope these are easy to follow directions and you can start saving money. I will add a cost breakdown when I find my receipts. 

LAUNDRY TODAY OR NAKED TOMORROW!!