Make Your Own Laundry Detergent
By Sarah Buhr
Making your own detergent is easy and fun. Plus, it cuts down on
reactions to certain harsh chemicals, is better for the environment and
for your wallet. This particular recipe is also great for getting out
stains and keeping color in your clothes:
Ingredients:
1 cup Borax (I use 20 mule team brand)
1 cup Washing Soda (you can substitute baking soda, but only if you don't have hard water)
1/3 block of Fels Naptha laundry soap
20 cups of water
*All items can be found in the laundry aisle at most grocery or hardware stores
Instructions:
1.
Take the Fels Naptha laundry soap and cut up a 1/3 of the bar. Now, cut
the bar down to little chunks, put in a pot of boiling water. Let boil
for 15 minutes, then simmer till everything is dissolved (about 30
minutes).
*Fels Naptha is an old soap that has been in use for
100 years now. Your grandma probably used it to make her laundry soap.
It's great for getting out tough stains and it smells nice.
2. After soapy soup mixture has cooled, add to 20 cups of water in the container you will keep the laundry mix in.
3. Next add the borax and washing soda, mix it all up really well.
4. Let the detergent set for 24 hours.
5.
After 24 hours the mix should be like jello. Simply mix it around with
a cup or spoon and it will become a liquid. You are now ready to use it
in the wash. Use about a 1/2 cup to a cup depending on how dirty the
clothes are.
The great thing about this recipe is that it is
environmentally friendly, allergy free, only costs about 6 or 7 cents a
load and you don't even need to use a dryer sheet when you put it in
the dryer after. There's also something just so satisfying about making
your own laundry detergent.
