Homemade Laundry Detergent That Really Works!

All these years, I've been doing it all wrong! Laundry, that is.  I've been throwing away tons of money on detergents, just because I didn't realize that there was any other option.  I found this recipe on my latest obsession....errrr inspiration.....PINTEREST! I kept seeing homemade laundry detergents, but couldnt bring myself to grate several bars of soap, then cook them on the stove.....alot of work, especially if it didn't work! Then I found the NO GRATE, NO COOK method.  A gallon of store bought detergent was costing me between $10 and $15, it couldn't hurt to try.....

This recipe calls for three ingredients: Borax ($5.50), Arm and Hammer Washing Soda, not baking soda....this is soda ash, and is great for cleaning but can't be used in cooking ($3.50) and Dawn dish detergent, I chose green apple blossom ($3.50). 

Here goes nothing!

Find a gallon jug, I used an old orange juice one that was in the recycle bin. Just don't use a milk one, they tend to hold onto their stinky old milk smell.  I created a funnel out of a rolled up piece of paper to put the powders in, you could do it without but i have bad aim....
                       3 TBSP Borax
                       3 TBSP Washing Soda
                       2 TBSP Dawn

Add 4 cups boiling water, and swirl it around a bit until it dissolves. Let it cool down, then fill it the rest of the way with cool water. The suds will come out the top, thats ok, just keep filling until its almost full. 

THAT'S IT!!!! I figured even if it didn't work I could still use the ingredients for other things, so nothing wasted. 

I used 1/2 cup for a medium-large load.  It didn't suds at all, and was so clear and thin that I felt like I hadn't put anything in the washer. I had to really hold back from adding some Tide. But I wanted to really test the stuff, and i told myslef "If it doesnt work, just wash the load again with Tide". To my surprise, though, it worked FANTASTIC! The only difference I noticed was less of a "perfume" smell.  To me that's a good thing.  If you like a smelll, you could always add a scented dryer sheet in the dryer, or maybe even try lavender oil in the detergent(let me know how it works if you do that!).

So then came the REAL TEST! Could it stand up to my 10 month old son's CLOTH DIAPERS? I used 1/4 cup for a small-medium load of diapers.  I have a mix of BumGenius, Rumparoos, and FuzziBunz.  We have a pretty lame washing mashine, and when I say lame I mean it just kinda slacks along and does a half a$$ed job.  If my washer was a person, you'd fire it because you found it sleeping in the cubicle.  Anywaaaaaays.....I usually have to wash my diapers three times, and add an extra rinse cycle, kinda defeats the whole environmental angle of doing cloth. With my new homemade detergent, I found the diapers CLEANER AFTER JUST ONE CYCLE, than after three with Tide! So, it's settled. I'm hooked. 

Detergent that costs less than $1 per gallon and works better than Tide.

I know, this has nothing to do with food. But it is my newest and easiest way to save moeny and simplify! I've realized that these days, we all have a multitude of cleaners under our sinks. A host of chemicals designed to do a specific job.  My theory on food applies to cleaning. Get the ingredients, make it yourself.  Know what's in it! (Not that I know all the ingredients in Dawn, but......)

I think we can all do with a little more self reliance!