Make your own laundry detergent in less than 10 minutes

I originally posted this in 2008, but thought that I would revisit this little gem since it is time for me to make more detergent. This is a tutorial on how to make the powdered version of laundry soap. I hope to be able to put up pictures of how to make the liquid kind later on today. I prefer the liquid since it lasts longer in this house, but I will whip up a small batch of powdered if I'm in a pinch. No more running to the store just to pick up detergent so I can conquer Mt. Laundry.

This is another one of those things that I would have never thought I could do until I saw it on a website I visited. It looked really easy and inexpensive. If it's easy and cheap and works well, then I'm all for it.

I have seen a few laundry detergent tutorials out there, but none for the powdered version. My girls are the one who really wanted to do this tutorial. This was their first time making detergent. They were 14 and 12 at the time. So, as you can see, it is so simple that even a child could do it.

To start with you'll need 3 ingredients:

• Borax - 1 cup
  


• Washing Soda - 1 cup
  


• A laundry soap bar--->Fels Naptha or Zote - 1 cup
  

Many people have said that they have had a hard time finding the washing soda or the Fels Naptha. The easiest way to find Fels Naptha is to go to this website. Under brand you click on laundry care and under item click on Fels Naptha. Then you can type in your zip code. It will tell you all of the stores around you that carry it.

To find the washing soda call this number. 1-800-524-1328. It is a recording that will give you a list of stores that carry washing soda in your area.

What to do:

1. Measure out 1 cup of Borax and put into a bowl

2. Measure out 1 cup of washing soda and put into a bowl

3. Grate 1 cup of the soap bar. Add to bowl with Borax and washing soda. I am using Zote this time. I usually use Fels Naptha, but found this at my Super Target and thought I would try it.











4. Mix well

5. Put in storage container---> In this case we are using an old cool whip container

6. Use 1 Tbsp per load.

That's it. It's as easy as that. It only cost me pennies per load. A very frugal alternative to store bought detergent. It works well too. If I have a really dirty load I will up the amount I use by a small amount. I know that people use Oxyclean also. Have you made your own laundry detergent? What did you think?

Pictures of making this version later!

Liquid Detergent:
Washing soda 1/2 cup
Borax 1/2 cup
Bar of laundry soap 1/2 bar (Fels Naptha or Zote)
Bucket
4 cups of hot water in large bowl

Directions:
Grate soap and put in a large saucepan. Add 6 cups water and heat until soap melts. About 15-20 minutes. Add washing soda and borax. Stir until dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour the 4 cups of really hot water into your bucket. Add soap mixture and stir. Next, add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Let soap sit for 24 hours before using so that it gels. Use 1/2 cup per load. If you are using a front loader use less than this.

Now, sometimes I add just a tad more soda and borax than the recipe calls for. In the summer is when I do this more as the children get dirtier. I put mine in a 2 gallon bucket with a lid. It fits on my shelf better. One more thing. As the detergent is gelling overnight, we take a hand immersion blender or my husband takes his drill with a paint stirrer attachment and will mix it up a few times. I find it just holds together better. Now, it will separate sometimes, but just mix it up before you use it!

Baking Day (part 2)

After a quick cleanup of the morning mess and a nice lunch we got back to work making our sweeter items. Mainly things that didn't need time to rise. I didn't get nearly the amount of pictures in the afternoon because my photographer wanted to cook instead, but here are a few we managed to get.

We made a double batch of pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, a double batch of apple cinnamon muffins, a loaf of banana bread (that was part of Faith's 4-H project book), packed 10 cups of homemade chicken broth that I had simmering all night in the crock pot, cooked up some ground beef and packaged it, fed my sourdough starter, started another 2 jars of buttermilk, and finally started a batch of crock pot yogurt.

Here are the pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. My daughters made them for the first time, (usually I do it). They were great!



Here I am feeding my sourdough starter. It is 6 months old now and is really healthy.


Finally, the finished result. We did not get a picture of the apple cinnamon muffins in here because they were still in the oven and the beef which was browning at the time. Also missing are the 2 jars of buttermilk, which were put away in the cabinet to do their thing overnight.


One final picture of most of what we did.

Baking day (part 1)

Well, baking day was a success! We are some tired gals I tell ya. We took lots of pictures, but they will have to wait till tomorrow because we are going to put our feet up and have a big glass of sweet tea.

Here are the promised pictures of what we did in the morning before lunch. We made 2 loaves of honey wheat bread, one loaf of sourdough bread, a double batch of waffles and a triple batch of pancakes.

I first started making by making 2 loaves of honey wheat bread.



I do it all by hand. For a long time i've wanted a Bosch mixer, but God showed me something. Every time I knead my bread I am either praying or singing worship songs. It is just one of the ways I take moments to spend with the Lord in my day. So now I love kneading my bread by hand. It is very calming and satisfying to me.



My daughter loves this picture that she took of me adding more flour while kneading.



The final product, after kneading and ready to rise.



After the first rise.



Here is me kneading my sourdough bread. It is a quick rise white sourdough. I don't usually do a white sourdough, but we wanted something like a hearty french bread to eat with our stew. It was delicious!



As you can see, it's not a true white since my starter is made with wheat and spelt flour.



Isn't it pretty when it's risen?



Second rise done and ready to be put into the oven. We didn't get pictures of the final breads until the shot of all that we did.



Here are two of my lovely helpers that are making the whole wheat buttermilk pancakes. That is my own cultured buttermilk that I make.



Starting the whole wheat buttermilk waffles.


Part two will come this afternoon. It's time for our school day to begin. Hope you enjoy a glimpse into our kitchen.

Weekly Menu:

Weekly Menu Plan:

Back in the day when I used to blog pretty regularly I participated in Menu Planning Monday. I have actually had quite a few people over the last year or so ask if I would ever put my menus with the cost up again. So, here is my menu that was right at $95.00. (Lisa, if you see this, this is for you!)

Breakfast:
Monday: Waffles and fruit
Tuesday: Baked oatmeal
Wednesday: Muffins and sausage
Thursday: Eggs and biscuits or Baked french toast made with homemade whole wheat sourdough
Friday: Pancakes and fruit
Saturday: Eggs, hash browns, and a meat
Sunday: Country ham and gravy over biscuits

Lunch:
Monday: Homemade piggies in a blanket and a veggie
Tuesday: Sandwiches and a veggie
Wednesday: Homemade macaroni and cheese, carrots sticks and sliced apples
Thursday: sandwiches and fruit
Friday: Baked sweet potatoes and broccoli cheese soup
Sat and Sun: We either eat leftovers, or a salad, or sandwiches

Snacks:
Monday: Banana bread
Tuesday: Fruit
Wednesday: Pumpkin chocolate chip muffins
Thursday: Veggie and cheese tray
Friday: Tortilla wraps---> Filled with peanut butter, banana, and/or honey

Monday:
Crockpot chicken
Carrots, celery, onions
Sweet potato casserole
Garlic bread

Tuesday:
Beef stew
Homemade sourdough bread

Wednesday:
3-cheese baked spaghetti
Salad
Garlic bread

Thursday:
Chicken and stuffing
Corn
Salad
Pumpkin rolls

Friday:
Homemade pepperoni and cheese pizza
Homemade bread sticks

Saturday:
Tatertot casserole
Green Beans
Salad

Sunday:
Baked ham
Mashed potatoes
Broccoli and cheese sauce
Dinner rolls

Tomorrow we are having a baking day. The schools are out for Mardi Gras, so I figured the kids could have a day off too. Hopefully we'll get lots of pictures up. My oldest is begging to put her new camera to good use.