Piles and Piles of Laundry Oh My!

One of my least favorite jobs as a mom is definitely Laundry and with 4 kids- 5 and under I have a lot of it!  Consequently, laundry detergent is a significant cost.  But- significant cost no more! I found a recipe I followed here and it worked great!  Be sure to check out the STATS below!  You won't believe the cost difference!

 

You can find all the ingredients in your local gocery store in the laundry detergent isle -usually all right next to each other!  You need: Borax, Super Washing Soda, and Fels-Naptha (about $8 total!)  I also got a 5 gallon bucket to make it easier to mix (they're only like $2) 

You only use 1/3 bar of the Fels-Naptha soap per batch and each batch is 2 gallons. 

1.  Shred 1/3 of the Fels-Naptha bar and set aside

2.  Bring 1/2 gallon of water in a pot on the stove

3.  Add your 1/3 shredded Fels-Napth and bring back to a boil on Med-hi heat  (the first time I brought it back to a boil on high and when I added my other ingredients they totally boiled over and lets just say I have a very clean stove top :)

 

4.  Once it's completely melted add 1/2 c Borax and 1/2 c Washing Soda

        -Let this boil on med-hi for 5 minutes and stir

 

5.  Add 1 1/2 gallons of COLD water to your bucket and pour your soap into it and start to stir-I used an immersible blender but you can use your muscles if you don't have one.

6.  Let it sit for 30 minutes and stir again really well.

7.  Once you're done stirring, pour it into your container!  You're done!  

This recipe works for High Efficiency (He) washers also!  1/2 c per load-and be sure to shake your container before you pour it as it may settle if it sits there for a while.  I put it in an old detergent container I saved so I can have the dispenser, but the plastic jugs would work great too!  You can make powder detergent mix if you ALWAYS wash your cloths in hot water.  You may think its a "mommy fail" but I NEVER wash them in hot water because that would require sorting....which I don't do.  Don't judge.   If you use the powder in cold water it won't melt the Fels-Naptha soap. 

You can add scents if you want but to be honest the Fels-Naptha smells amazing! 

This is a great gift idea!!

Be Creative and Enjoy!

STATS:

Better-My clothes are soft, clean, and smell great!  There's no residue or waxiness like some other cheap detergents leave *check*

Healthier-Surprise Surprise there's all sorts of nastiness in laundry soap! this site said: Most companies add optical brighteners to detergent formulas—additives that emit blue light, making whites appear whiter by tricking the eye. By design, optical brighteners stay in clothes after washing, which may cause skin irritation. Wow!  *check*

Cheaper- Get ready for this!  1 batch will do 64 loads of laundry! 

The ingredients break down: Fels-Naptha = $0.32 a batch

                                                 Washing Soda =$.029 a batch

                                                  Borax =$0.17 a batch

So for 64 loads of laundry detergent it costs $0.78!  That's $0.012 a load!  1 PENNY PER LOAD!!!!!  This may be a homemade record! *check*