Others may have their own recipe and you are welcome to share what works for you. I made this recipe in 2012 and the 5 gallon bucket lasted quite a while our family of 5.
The prices were in 2012 so I suspect they are a bit higher now, but I am not gonna look them up for current pricing.
Laundry Detergent RECIPE:
Fels-Naptha soap = $1.59 per bar
Arm&Hammer Washing Soda = $3.29 a box
20 Mule Team Borax = $4.99 a box
Mrs Stewart's Liquid Bluing Whitener = $2.99 a bottle
1 empty 5 or 6 gallon bucket with a lid
Use a sharp knife to cut the bar of Fels-Naptha soap into small pieces, the smaller the better, and then grate them into a powder, the finer the better. (I used my wife's Pampered Chef hand crank grater)
Add 1 gallon of boiling water into the bucket and mix the grated soap into the water.
Add 1 more gallon of boiling water and mix it some more, the purpose is to dissolve the grated soap.
Add 1 cup Washing Soda and mix well.
Add 1/2 cup of Borax and mix well.
(there is no chemical type reaction with any of this, but I suggest not tasting it)
CAREFULLY add 2 tablespoons of Mrs Stewart's Liquid Bluing Whitener into the mix. Do not get this on your clothes, or the dog, or the carpet, or the grout because it will be real work to remove it, but it does have a squirt type insert in the top of the bottle so remove the cap and carefully turn it over above the mix and squeeze out about 2 tablespoons.
Mix again and add 2 or 3 more gallons of cool water, mixing as you go. Allow it to cool with the top loose and do not seal it until it is cool.
Use a clean stick or old broom handle to mix well before pouring into an old laundry detergent bottle. Use a ladle and a funnel, or if you are feeling festive use a Red Solo Cup.
With the top tightly on the detergent bottle shake well before use and use 1/2 cup per load, give or take. This works out to about $2.33 a batch or 1.8 cents per load (in 2012) if you make 4 gallons.
For fabric softener use 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar in the rinse cycle. It works well and is very inexpensive. Did you know most fabric softeners contain chemicals that are unhealthy? And, even laundry soap contains several of those chemicals and if it isn't rinsed away completely it will remain on your clothes but the white vinegar will help dissolve them and rinse them away. If you are using fabric softener in the drier to stop static cling consider setting the dry cycle to a lower setting to leave your clothes slightly damp and there will be no static. That last little bit of moisture will dry when you hang up your clothes or if folding the clothes spread them out for a few minutes (use a fan to help if needed) before folding.
A quick search on fabric softener came up with this article. I don't know when it was written and haven't verified it but it is well written and explains how various chemicals in fabric softener can be bad for you.
https://www.life.ca/naturallife/0608/softener.htm
DISCLAIMER: since my GF and her family moved in with me we have been using store bought detergent because that is what she uses and I haven't had the time to make my own. I will run this past her and see if she will give me the OK to make and use this again. If so I will make a video on the process. My only hope is she will like the idea of the much lower cost.
The prices were in 2012 so I suspect they are a bit higher now, but I am not gonna look them up for current pricing.
Laundry Detergent RECIPE:
Fels-Naptha soap = $1.59 per bar
Arm&Hammer Washing Soda = $3.29 a box
20 Mule Team Borax = $4.99 a box
Mrs Stewart's Liquid Bluing Whitener = $2.99 a bottle
1 empty 5 or 6 gallon bucket with a lid
Use a sharp knife to cut the bar of Fels-Naptha soap into small pieces, the smaller the better, and then grate them into a powder, the finer the better. (I used my wife's Pampered Chef hand crank grater)
Add 1 gallon of boiling water into the bucket and mix the grated soap into the water.
Add 1 more gallon of boiling water and mix it some more, the purpose is to dissolve the grated soap.
Add 1 cup Washing Soda and mix well.
Add 1/2 cup of Borax and mix well.
(there is no chemical type reaction with any of this, but I suggest not tasting it)
CAREFULLY add 2 tablespoons of Mrs Stewart's Liquid Bluing Whitener into the mix. Do not get this on your clothes, or the dog, or the carpet, or the grout because it will be real work to remove it, but it does have a squirt type insert in the top of the bottle so remove the cap and carefully turn it over above the mix and squeeze out about 2 tablespoons.
Mix again and add 2 or 3 more gallons of cool water, mixing as you go. Allow it to cool with the top loose and do not seal it until it is cool.
Use a clean stick or old broom handle to mix well before pouring into an old laundry detergent bottle. Use a ladle and a funnel, or if you are feeling festive use a Red Solo Cup.
With the top tightly on the detergent bottle shake well before use and use 1/2 cup per load, give or take. This works out to about $2.33 a batch or 1.8 cents per load (in 2012) if you make 4 gallons.
For fabric softener use 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar in the rinse cycle. It works well and is very inexpensive. Did you know most fabric softeners contain chemicals that are unhealthy? And, even laundry soap contains several of those chemicals and if it isn't rinsed away completely it will remain on your clothes but the white vinegar will help dissolve them and rinse them away. If you are using fabric softener in the drier to stop static cling consider setting the dry cycle to a lower setting to leave your clothes slightly damp and there will be no static. That last little bit of moisture will dry when you hang up your clothes or if folding the clothes spread them out for a few minutes (use a fan to help if needed) before folding.
A quick search on fabric softener came up with this article. I don't know when it was written and haven't verified it but it is well written and explains how various chemicals in fabric softener can be bad for you.
https://www.life.ca/naturallife/0608/softener.htm
DISCLAIMER: since my GF and her family moved in with me we have been using store bought detergent because that is what she uses and I haven't had the time to make my own. I will run this past her and see if she will give me the OK to make and use this again. If so I will make a video on the process. My only hope is she will like the idea of the much lower cost.
Ours is similar, except we just decided to 'stay Dry until use', via:
) and A&H Washing Soda..
