New Laundry Detergent

A while back, my friend Angel was talking about her powdered laundry detergent that she has been making.  I had been thinking about switching from the homemade liquid we have used for 3-4 years because I thought it just wasn't cleaning as well as it should.  I asked for the "recipe", and mixed up my first batch ~ we love it.  It cleans better and is less trouble than the liquid.  I can't give a cost breakdown for a batch or per cost breakdown for each load, because I used some items I already had in the mixing.  I do think it will cost a little more per load than the other because it has some more ingredients added.  Here is the new one.....

1 box Borax (3 lb. 4 oz)
1 box Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (3 lb. 7 oz.)
2 bars of Zote Soap**
1 container Oxy Clean (3 lb.)
1 ~ 4 lb. box baking soda
1-2 bottles of Purex Crystals Fabric Softener **

Use 2 tablespoons per load of laundry.

Mix all of the above in a large bucket (I use a 5 gal. bucket I bought for $1 in the Walmart bakery dept) .

**The first time I made this, I used Ivory bar soap (its super easy to grate/chop/annihilate the bars in a food prcessor).  Yesterday, I used 1 Ivory bar and 1 Fels Naptha bar ~ ivory grinds down finer than the Fels Naptha.  If you don't have a food processor...you can grate them down with a cheese grater.

** While the Purex crystals smell wonderful, I don't use 2 containers.  I use 1.  And in the dryer, I tear a fabric softener sheet in 1/2 and use for each load.  I do not like the electricity that builds up in clothes in the winter time!

As with any recipe, I look for store brands of the ingredients.  Both Kroger and Walmart have their own brand of the oxyclean & the baking soda.  We did find a huge bag of baking soda at Sam's Club and have used it for various things for 2 years ~ its a 7 lb. bag, so it lasts a long time.

I don't know how many loads of laundry, 1 batch will do.  I did a 1/2 batch the first time, because thats what I had supplies for ~ then yesterday I did a full batch + more cause I wanted to use all the supplies I had on hand.  BUT, I do know that buying all the supplies, still cost less than one of the big bottles of liquid Tide from Sam's.  My detergent is stored in my 2 purex bottles (the cap is 2 tablespoons), some tupperware containers, and empty plastic tubs with lids. 

One more tip ~ when you mix this up, it helps to layer the ingredients in the bucket a little at a time ~ makes it easier to mix and distribute everything throughout.

Katie took home a container of this at Thanksgiving and likes it better also.

OH, you may want to mix this up in a ventilated area....stirring all this powder does create a "cloud" in the kitchen.  We did it inside yesterday because of the rain ~ and had to turn on the ceiling fan & open the kitchen door.

I am linking up with.....http://deborahjeansdandelionhouse.blogspot.com/2012/12/farmgirl-friday-blog-hop-86.html