DIY Laundry Soap

Yep, we jumped on the bandwagon of do-it-yourself laundry soap. I'll admit - I resisted it for awhile, because I thought it sounded like something that either wouldn't fully clean the clothes well or would smell like some combination of vinegar and sawdust. Then of course I saw a million variations on Pinterest, so I pinned a few. And like any good pinner, I didn't use the pin for a while.

However, we moved into our new house in August 2012 and we were all budget happy so I decided to go ahead and give it a chance. I mixed up a batch and thought "okay, let's see how this goes."

To be honest, I didn't even notice the difference in our clothes. Our laundry was still soft and clean, and still had a fresh laundry smell. And I didn't even give it another thought until last week when my husband (who has a slight laundry obsession and does 6-7 loads per week - and there are only 2 of us) mentioned that we were running low on laundry soap. Wait, what? Running low? I thought for sure we'd stopped using that same batch months ago.

But it was true - the batch we made August 1st lasted us almost exactly 8 months. That's unheard of! I spent about $20 on the supplies and it lasted us that long! So of course, I had to mix up another batch and I'm thinking this just might be our laundry detergent forever.

And it couldn't be easier. We bought a 5 gallon bucket with a lid at Home Depot for $3, and all you have to do is dump, shake it up, and then store it.We use about 2 tbsp per load (we have a little scoop in the bucket that holds about this much) and it seriously lasts forever. Because it is a powdered detergent, I'll...who am I kidding - it's usually my husband...puts the detergent in the bottom and fill the washer before adding clothes, giving it a chance to start to dissolve. Other than that, you just proceed as normal! (oh, and from what I've read, this works just as well in HE washers)

28 Cooks Laundry Detergent
3 bars Fels Naptha soap, grated ($3.33)
2 cups baking soda ($1.00)
1 (76 oz) box Borax ($3.38)
1 (5 lb) container Oxy-Clean ($8.47)
1 (55 oz) box Arm and Hammer Washing Soda ($3.24)

Mix all ingredients together and shake well to combine. Use about 2 tbsp for a large load.