One thing that I have learned from my daughter is how to make homemade laundry detergent. I was always complaining about how expensive laundry detergent had become, and she told me how to make my own. Now I am just in love with it! Not only does it smell great, it makes a 5 gallon buck that last and cleans many of loads. This cut my shopping bill, and that made my husband a very happen and "clean" man!
Let me share with you the recipe:
You will need:
1 bar of Fels-naptha
1 box of Arm & Hammer, Household Cleaner & Laundry Booster (you will only use 1 cup)
1 box of Borax, Detergent Booster & Multi-purpose Household Cleaner (you will only use 1 cup)
1 New 5 Gallon Bucket (many of options at Walmart.com)
Cheese grater (does not have to be fancy, mine is from the Dollar Tree)
Large pot (about a gallon or 2 gallon size)
Large wooden spoon (use only for laundry mix making)
1 cup measuring cup (love my glass Purex measuring cup)
Let's get started:
Step 1: using the cheese grater, grated the Fels-naptha into a large pot.
Step 2: Add water to pot, filling it to the halfway point.
Step 3: Bring water to a boil, and stir Fels-Naptha until it has completely melted.
Step 4: In 5 gallon bucket add 1 cup of both the Arm & Hammer and the Borax.
Step 5: Add warm water to 5 gallon bucket, filling it halfway full, stir as you are adding water.
Step 6: Once Feels-Naptha is melted in large pot of water, pour mixture into 5 gallon bucket, stirring the water mixtures together until all detergents are dissolved.
Step 7: Fill 5 gallon bucket to about 4 inches from top with warm water
Step 8: Close bucket and let sit for 24 hours
Step 9: Once time is up, mixture will be a jelly like state, no worries, using your hands or a large stir stick break up the jelly mix; this will break i back down into liquid format.
Step 10: Use 1 cup of mixture per a load of laundry.
There you have it, homemade laundry detergent. I have been using this recipe now for over 2 years. It has gotten some pretty tough stains out, but I always use a pre-treatment when these stains happen. I use water, Fels-Naptha Bar and a scrub brush to pretreat tough stains. So far pretty successful, even with that Georgia red clay on baseball pants! I also want to add that I LOVE the smell of Fels-naptha! Let me know your thoughts on the smell.
Have questions? Comments? Please let us know below, we will get back to you on those!
So like everything else in the world, we have to put a disclaimer on this page, just in case something off the wall happens. Here you go:
Please note: you are trying this at your own risk. We can not be held for any damage laundry or misuse of recipe.