How to Make Homemade Laundry Detergent

There is no doubt about it, the average person would love to save some extra money, especially with gas prices as high as they are. The question is, how are we supposed to save money without radically altering our lifestyles? Sure there are ways you can rearrange your budget, but what about simple things we can do? One way is by making things at home that you would have to pay good money for in the store. In many cases, things you make at home will end up costing you a lot less than things purchased already made in the store.

One example of this is homemade laundry detergent. This can save you tons of money, depending on what brand of laundry detergent you usually buy. Even the so called cheap stuff isn't that cheap! I also like the idea of making my own detergent because then I know exactly what is in it.

You can also make your favorite scented detergent by adding a few drops of essential oils to either of these recipes.

Liquid Detergent

You will need:

1 Bar of Soap (whatever kind you prefer to wash your hands with - make sure you like the smell)
A Large Bucket with a Lid (5 gallons or more)
1 Cup of Washing Soda (can be found in the laundry aisle)
4 ½ Gallons of Hot Water

Chop your bar of soap into little pieces and place the pieces in a sauce pan over low heat. Place enough water in the pan to cover the soap.
Once the soap is dissolved and you have soapy water, put it in the bucket with the 4 ½ gallons of hot water.
Mix in the washing soda and stir it all together.
As it sits it will begin to thicken up.
Use 1 cup per load.
If clothes are really dirty, add a little more, up to two cups.

This recipe will allow you to make enough detergent to last you quite awhile and it should save you a good bit of money, too!!

Powder Detergent

This is a little bit easier to make and to store.

You will need:

One Cup of chopped up pieces from a bar of soap
½ Cup of Washing Soda (can be found in the laundry aisle)
½ Cup of Borax (also in laundry aisle)
Container with a lid

Mix it all together and you've got homemade detergent. Put it in a nice container or recycle an old laundry detergent container.

Use one Tablespoon per load.