A couple weeks ago, I whipped up a new batch of my favorite homemade laundry detergent. I never really kept track of the date when I last made it, so I wasn't sure how long it lasted. I knew it was a long time, but I just wasn't sure how long. A couple of days after I put it all together, I was reading through the posts on my TimeHop app on my phone. Voila....up popped my post about how I had made my first ever batch of laundry detergent one year ago. Since I still had a little left from my first batch when I mixed up the second batch, I can honestly tell you that it lasted over a year!!!! I was shocked.
Now, I can say with complete assurance, that I saved a ton of money on laundry detergent this year. I have 4 kids and a husband at home. Between the six of us, we go through a TON of laundry. My kids are on the swim team, so I am constantly washing towels. Since I love to show you how to save money here at The Thrifty Fitty, I'd love to show you how I make this wonderful stuff!
STEP 1 - Go to the store and purchase all the ingredients:
1. 1 - 4 lb. box of Borax (found in the detergent aisle). Approximate cost = $7.00
2. 1 - 3 lb. 7 oz. box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (found in the detergent aisle). Approximate cost = $3.00
3. 1 - 3 lb. container of OxyClean (found in the detergent aisle). I could only find a 5 lb. box, so I used 3 lbs. and saved the rest for later. Approximate cost for the 5 lb. container = $9.50
4. 2 - 14.1 oz. bars of Zote Soap or Fels Naptha. I like the pink Zote Soap the best (found in the detergent aisle). Approximate cost for 2 bars = $2.00
5. 1 - 4 lb. box of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda (sometimes found in the detergent aisle, but if you can't find it there, check the baking aisle). Approximate cost = $2.00
6. 1 or 2 55 oz. bottles of Purex Crystals Fabric Softener (found in the detergent aisle). I used only 1 bottle this time. Approximate cost for 1 bottle = $9.00
1. 1 - 4 lb. box of Borax (found in the detergent aisle). Approximate cost = $7.00
2. 1 - 3 lb. 7 oz. box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (found in the detergent aisle). Approximate cost = $3.00
3. 1 - 3 lb. container of OxyClean (found in the detergent aisle). I could only find a 5 lb. box, so I used 3 lbs. and saved the rest for later. Approximate cost for the 5 lb. container = $9.50
4. 2 - 14.1 oz. bars of Zote Soap or Fels Naptha. I like the pink Zote Soap the best (found in the detergent aisle). Approximate cost for 2 bars = $2.00
5. 1 - 4 lb. box of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda (sometimes found in the detergent aisle, but if you can't find it there, check the baking aisle). Approximate cost = $2.00
6. 1 or 2 55 oz. bottles of Purex Crystals Fabric Softener (found in the detergent aisle). I used only 1 bottle this time. Approximate cost for 1 bottle = $9.00
*I'm sure you could get some of these items much cheaper if you found them on sale or used coupons :)
STEP 2 -
Grate the Zote soap with a cheese grater or food processor. I used the grater attachment on my KitchenAid mixer, as the soap is very firm and is much easier to process with the help of a little electricity!
Grate the Zote soap with a cheese grater or food processor. I used the grater attachment on my KitchenAid mixer, as the soap is very firm and is much easier to process with the help of a little electricity!
STEP 3 - My first time making this soap, I noticed that it was very hard to mix the other ingredients with the Zote soap, because the Zote soap was so sticky. I decided to experiment with it a little and my experiment worked great! I sent the already grated Zote soap back through the mixer attachment WITH the Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda. To do this, I just took the Zote that was in the bowl and mixed it with the Washing Soda.
I then used a 1 cup measuring cup to scoop out the mixture and send it back through the mixer attachment. Here's what it looked like after it came through the 2nd time:
As you can see, the texture is much finer. Not only does this help with mixing, but it also helps the soap to dissolve easier in the washer - especially when using cold water.
STEP 4 - Mix all the ingredients, including the Zote mixed with the Washing Soda, together in a large bucket. I happened to have an old cat litter bucket that worked perfectly.
The scoop is from the OxiClean that I purchased. It holds about 2 Tbls. of powder, which is just about all that is needed for a load of laundry!!! For smaller loads, I only use 1/2 a scoop.
THAT'S IT!! $32.50 for detergent for the entire year!!! $.63 cents a week!! Not bad for a family of 6.
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