1. Grate a bar of soap. Fels Naptha, Zote, Octagon, etc. Google to see what everyone else is using. I use the Octagon because it's what I can find here at the Piggly Wiggly.
2. I like my soap grated much finer, so it melts in the washer. I put it in my little chopper and grind it up fine.
3. I then mix together 3 cups washing soda, 3 cups 20-Mule Team Borax, and 3 cups OxyClean. The OxyClean is optional, and I use the off-brand. Works just as well as the brand name.
4. Then I dump the grated soap in the container of powdered stuff.
Close up of the mixture.
I keep mine in one of those little Sterlite shoe-sized containers from your local dollar store.
I kept this scoop from my previous detergent, and I only use this much. No, I don't know exactly how much "this much" is. Go get your laundry scoop and compare.
Then you put it in your detergent compartment. Yes, this is Detergent for Dummies. I wash my clothes on cold and warm, and have never had any trouble with the soap dissolving. Your results may not be the same.
Then I use what passes for softener in my house. White Vinegar. It's good for what ails ya.
Okay, The End. Now go do some laundry already. PS - I have a front loader. Washing machine, that is.
5 comments:
OOOoooh, never thought to add vinegar to the wash. I'd rather use it to cook with. Is it allowed on the ABS diet :) :) :)
BD
Is yours a top or front loading washer?
You're so crafty. I'm not that enthusiastic about laundry in the first place, so it's unlikely that I'll ever be making my own detergent, but this is interesting.
I throw all my clothes in the same basket, then empty the basket into the washer, hit it with a little commercial detergent, and let 'er rip. My clothes are on their own until I get them out of the dryer. I do fold, though
I thought about this for a while, but decided that I would just buy detergent. I may revisit the idea when I don't have a toddler.
Jordan started making this too, and we really like it. Our cloth diapers come out cleaner with it, and it's so much cheaper! We also do our own dishwasher detergent. I'd really love to learn how to make our own soap, but we haven't gotten around to that yet.
I will have to see which one of those special soaps we can find--we were first using regular Ivory soap, and this last time we used some soap we bought in Walhalla at Thistle Ridge Soaps. We grate our soap and just use the finer grater.
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