Homemade laundry detergent

So I have been seeing all these sites for do it your self cleaning stuff.  So I've made and been using a do it yourself dishwashing detergent for our dishwashing machine and it works really great when it's put in properly. So I've been kicking around the idea of making up a laundry detergent and I did it today in the picture there is what it looks like that put my first load in it's finished in the wash cycle I switched over to the dryer it actually really smells great so crossing my fingers everything looks really clean

 

These are the fallowing recpies I came up with from looking at all the ones out there I mix and mashed them into something that works great for me.

Dishwashing Machine Mix

• 1cup Borax (people this isnt the poison, its the detergent thats already in most of your house hold cleaners, you should be able to find it in the asile with the laundry or dish soap I used 20  Mule team Borax from Wal-Mart ~3.89)
• 1cup Super washing Soda (not baking soda, again its found in the cleaning asile with the soap and detergent should be next to the borax, again walmart for about ~3.98)
• 1cup Lemi-shine  -for warning this stuff smells like CONCENTRATED lemon its strong and a bit overwelming it can be found with the rinse aids
•  1/2 cup Kosher salt (make sure its Kosher can find it in the baking aisle it really helps the scrubbing processe)
• 1/4cup white vinegar PER WASH

Mix all the dry ingredients together and use 1 to 2 table spoons per wash depending on how dirty your dishes are, and make sure to add 1/4 cup white vinegar in the bottom of the machine with the load it makes all the difference.   After I washed the first load of dishes my husband (greates husband in the world he unloads the dishes and puts them away for me) even commented on how clean the glass ware looked compared to the 'Finish and Cascade' tabs we had been using.  His words where 'Oh it got the cups clean." You know instead of leaving them foggy or opec.  Oh and a after thought, try to get a air tight jar to keep it in or it will get hard, mine got hard when I left it in an old plastic PB jar I recycled.  It still works great I just have to go at it ever week or so and hack up the top layer with a fork to make it scoopable.

Laundry Detergent Mix

• 1 bar Fels Napa (I used my black and decker food processor to grate it then threw the prossesing blade on and tossed in some of the SWS to grind it up, it will get down to small pellets about the size of the crystls from the purex this is perfictly safe as its bastly just soap just wash the processor in HOT water before using for food.) Again it should be in the detergent asile either by the SWS and borax or by the stain removers.
• 1/3 box of Borax
• 1/3 box of Super Washing Soda
• 1/2 bottle of Purex fabric sofener crystals (this can be omited if you want fragrance free) I went with lavender

I used about 2 tables spoons for the load, I actually used the Purex cap as it has a mark for 1, 2, and 2 1/2 table spoon increments.  The site I pulled this from actully made a batch that was about 4 times as much as I made, and they said it would last a year so I think my batch should last 3 months.  Not bad 3 months for less then $15 instead of one jug for $16 that only does 36 loads.  And the smell is great, its not overwhelming because I was able to adjust the amount to my liking.  I dont know about you but I by a soap in the store I sniff it first, but they dont always smell the same after a wash some times they leave an over powering scent and other detergents  have a wonderful scent that gets lost in the wash.

I killed two big bad money wasting bills with a few simple products.  I used the same box of SWS and Borax for both projects. 

As an added bonus my dishes ARE cleaner then when I used the leading brands, so hears to hopping the cloths turn out the same.  I will know in 20 minutes when the dryer stops!!