Consider the Lilies: Frugal Fridays: Homemade Laundry Powder & Link Up

I have been making my own laundry detergent for almost 2 years now. It is very simple to do just takes a little bit of time! It has helped us cut down on our household needs(which for us is included in our grocery budget)!
What you need:

Bar of soap-I have used Ivory, Fels Naptha, and Zote. You can use any kind just make sure it doesn't have a moisturizer(like Dove, Olay, ect.)
Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda-this is not the same as baking soda. You can find this in the laundry isle of the store.
20 Mule Team Borax-Also in the laundry isle, should be close to the washing soda.
OxiClean(optional)-I like to use it because I feel it helps get our clothes a little cleaner. I normally just get the store brand.
Essential Oils(optional)-I used these for the first time last night. I got one called linen and it made the house smell soooo good when I was mixing up my detergent.

Recipe:

Grate the soap. This take a little while. Grab a grater and a bowl and watch a movie with your family!(I grated my soap while we watched 19 Kids and Counting Tuesday night!) Or if you have two graters have a race with your husband to see who can grate theirs the fastest. Have your kids judge! :) I use a Pampered Chef Fine Grater. You want to get it grated as fine as possible. A food processor would work as well.
Add:
*2 Cup grated soap(You may have left over soap. You can store it in a Ziplock bag. I normally just make as much laundry powder as I can. 1 bar of Zote made 5 batches for me last night.)

*1 Cup 20 Mule Team Borax

*1 Cup Washing Soda

*1 Cup OxiClean(optional)

*Essential Oils(optional)
Mix well. Store in an airtight container. If you don't it might get some moisture and become clumpy.
Now go wash some clothes.(Or come over and do my laundry :p) Use about 1-2 Tbs. depending on the size of your load.

This is safe for HE washers as well!

Link up your posts concerning frugal living, money saving recipes, homemaking, faith, or anything encouraging. Be sure you link directly to your blog post not your blogs URL. Please include the Frugal Friday button or a text link so others can join in as well!

Linking up with these blogs: Homemaker By Choice, Delight Thyself, Raising Arrows, The Better Mom, The Alabaster Jar, These Five of Mine Plus Two, The Straightened Path, Simply Living for Him, The Modest Mom

6 comments:

ErinMarch 16, 2012 at 6:05 PM
We use this same recipe and love it, even for our cloth diapers. I make big batches in a 5 gallon bucket and then add the essential oils when I put it in our "laundry container" that sits on the dryer. I've found it's much easier to use my food processor (with the grater attachment) to grate the soap. :)
Paula @ Beauty Through ImperfectionMarch 16, 2012 at 8:42 PM
interesting... I tried doing the liquid version of this but it didn't always turn out right.. Will have to try this! would love to be able to make cheap laundry detergent all the time, or at least just for diapers !
Anna @ Feminine AdventuresMarch 17, 2012 at 11:24 AM
Hi Ashlyn! I linked up, but just wanted to know that the fifth entry is showing up in your sidebar. Maybe it's just me though?

I think it might be a problem with Linky Tools. There's a little box that (in my account at least) is automatically checked for some reason. It says "Ignore Column Count" If you uncheck it, I think it will fix the problem. Just wanted to let you know for next time. :)
Kate @ Teaching What Is GoodMarch 19, 2012 at 7:08 PM
I've used this recipe but I prefer liquid to powder so I make my own liquid, slightly different but close to yours.
viviene @ thejourneyofawomanMarch 20, 2012 at 5:30 AM
This looks interesting. I've always used commercial detergents..
Ann@Delight ThyselfMarch 22, 2012 at 11:02 AM
I have made mine for a long time too and I will never go back! My favorite soap to use though is Ivory with Aloe! It smells so good and it's actual aloe in the soap! MMM! Thanks for linking up!