Making Your Own Laundry Detergent: Does it Work & is it Worth It?

I decided that my husband had officially cracked under the pressure of the tightening economy when he announced that we would start making our own laundry detergent. I was more than a little skeptical, and wondered to myself if we would soon be knitting our own blankets and threshing our own wheat. I love the scent of fresh, clean laundry. My daughter also has extremely sensitive skin, and I cringed at the thought of what his homemade detergent might do to her skin. He enthusiastically ran out to get the ingredients for a recipe he found online - on the condition that he wash his own clothes in the detergent first. I was prepared for the worst.

Much to my surprise, his homemade detergent actually worked, and it worked well. When my husband washed two loads - one in the store bought detergent and one in his own concoction - they smelled equally fresh and clean. He washed a couple more loads in his homemade detergent, with the same effect. And I couldn't argue with the cost difference between buying your detergent and making it. Depending on brand, a bottle of store bought detergent can cost between $5.00 - $12.00. With a family of four, that doesn't last us very long. But, for roughly $10.00, my husband made enough detergent to last us for months (and I'm not exaggerating, either). According to my husband, an increasing number of people are trying homemade detergent to offset the rising costs of other necessities.

So, how do you get started if you want to try your own homemade detergent? The ingredients are few, and can be found at any grocery store. Here is the recipe my husband followed, found on www.TipNut.com. It makes between 2 ½ and 3 gallons of detergent:

2.5 Gallons Water (hot)

1 Bar Soap (grated)

¾ Cup Washing Soda

¾ Cup Borax

Melt the grated soap over medium-low heat topped with water, stir until soap is melted. In a large pail, pour 2.5 gallons of hot water, add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Mix well. Use ½ cup per load.

To add scent and a bit of personal touch, my husband picked out a moisturizing soap with a pleasant scent, which is probably why I couldn't tell the difference between the two loads. TipNut.com offers ten different recipes for making your own detergent. Ingredients in some of the other recipes include glycerin and vinegar. When it comes to finding "washing soda" (an ingredient many people haven't heard of) check the powdered detergent section of your local grocery.

Making your own detergent takes some time and effort, but my husband's recent attempt has left us with enough detergent to last for several weeks. If you're interested in trying something new and saving money, give it a shot. You have nothing to lose but the high price of store bought detergent - and you just might like it!