Homemade goods part 1

Ok, fellow bloggers. If you are spending too much laundry detergent, you need to make your own!! I did it and it's absolutely wonderful and SO cost effective. Want the recipe (this is for powdered detergent)?

1 bar of soap (use Zote, Fels-Naptha, Ivory, or Kirk's Castile...I personally like the Kirk's Castile. It's all natural)
1 cup borax (use 20 Mule Team brand)
1 cup washing soda (Arm&Hammer)

Finely grate the bar of soap into a bowl. Stir in the borax and washing soda. Stir until well mixed, and voila! You have laundry detergent! And you only need 1-2 tablespoons per load (2 tablespoons for something heavily soiled, have a huge load, or if you just prefer that). If you only use 1 tablespoon, that's roughly 48 loads of wash! And it's CHEAP, people! And the borax box includes ideas for all sorts of other household uses. It's amazing stuff.

If you want to make more than this amount, you obviously just double, triple, etc the recipe. You can reduce the amount of borax or washing soda to your liking if you don't like this particular mix. It kind of depends on your water (whether it's soft or hard) and laundry needs. I like the higher concentrate because my hubby works in a job that soils his clothes pretty good, and the extra borax and washing soda add a stain fighter boost.

I must say...I've been using this recipe for a couple months, and I've noticed a difference. I feel like my clothes smell fresher and are softer. AND some of my clothes that used to make me itch (I have super sensitive skin) no longer make me itch! It's wonderful. And also VERY safe for baby clothes! You can find all the ingredients in the laundry aisle of your local Fred Meyer. I didn't have any luck finding them at Safeway or Target, so check Fred Meyer if you have one close by. Except the Ivory and Kirk's Castile soap. You'll find that in the soap isle, but the Zote and Fels-Naptha are specially made for laundry, so they'll be in the laundry isle.

One quick tip for the powdered detergent though...make sure you put the powder in the washer WITHOUT clothes. Let the water run until there are several cups of water in the bottom and the soap starts to dissolve...then add your clothes. If you don't do this, it won't ruin anything, but you might have little soap spots on your clothes. They'll come out the next time you wash them.