DIY Laundry Detergent

Meet my sweet friend Brownie and her adorable family. I first met Brownie many, many years ago when I was in college and interning for a ministry that her and her husband are a part of. She is one of the most creative people I know and obviously, as the photo below tells you, she's a really fun mom. 

With a large family at home (and two very adventurous boys), Brownie does quite a bit of laundry. When I saw her post on Facebook about making her own laundry detergent, I knew I just had to feature it here on CupcakesAndCorndogs. She made enough laundry detergent to last her family five months for only $35! She said she was able to find all of her ingredients at Wal-Mart. So without further adieu, I'll turn it over to Brownie!

Homemade Laundry Detergent!

Detergent is super expensive so I feel like I'm winning in this area of my life! haha! I was a skeptic, at first, because I questioned if my clothes would really be clean, but all the ingredients are cleaners, so of course it's clean! This stuff is GREAT and easy to make - my kids helped and had fun!

Here's all you need:
4 bars of Fels Naptha Soap
1 box of Borax,
1 box of Arm and Hammer Washing Powders
1 box of Arm and Hammer Baking Soda
1 tub of Oxy Clean, and 1 container of Purex scent crystals (optional - this is only if you want that good laundry smell)

I bought a rubbermaid container to keep it in AND you can reuse the Purex container to keep a manageable amount handy.

Grate the Fels Naptha (some recipes call for Zote soap, but I didn't like it - it's gummy and sticks in the grater). Combine all the ingredients into a large container. I added about a fourth of each at a time and mixed it up gradually. Here's the great part: This is safe for HE washers because it doesn't suds up a lot and you only have to use 1-2 Tablespoons per load! Plus, the cap of the Purex crystals is already marked at 1 and 2 TBSPs.

I spent $35 on supplies (including the tub) and I made the first batch on August 10, 2012. I gave TONS of samples away and it still lasted 5 months! I also use more Purex crystals in the wash, but that's because I LOVE the good laundry smell.

Hope this helps everyone!