First you need:
1 bar Fels-Naptha bar soap
1-2 bars of your favorite smelly good soap (need approximately 5oz or you can use another fels bar- this just helps it smell even better)
2 cups Borax
2 cups Washing Soda
1/2 cup Baking Soda
2 cups oxyclean (I got off brand. This is optional)
*all of this is usually next to the other laundry items at the store. At Walmart it was all right next to each other besides smelly good soap. I had never heard of fels naphtha until this recipe and had no idea what I was looking for so I uploaded a picture of all these ingredients.
You will have enough of everything left over to make another batch except soap. I bought extra so I don't have to go to the store when I run out...I'll do anything to cut out an extra trip to the store!
Ok, now for the process.
Grate your soap... I used my cheese grater. You can do this then if you have a way of chopping smaller you can ( magic bullet from tv). It doesn't matter if you go smaller...it just makes it look more like store bought detergent. See picture. It will be about 4 cups after grated.
Stir in your borax, washing soda, baking soda, and oxyclean. I put mine in a 5 gallon bucket which is way too big, but when you stir there will be a little dust and this keeps it in the bucket. If you have a littler helper, this is where they can help out!
See picture for what the finish product looks like. Use 2-3 tbsps every load... I just threw in a measuring cup that was 2 tbsps.
All the supplies for 2 batches cost me between $20-$25 ...sorry I was going to upload my receipt, but it's lost - I am not surprised! Haha!
While I was at it I made Fabric softener. So I will post that too because it's so easy my 4 year old could probably make it with me telling him what to do!
You will need:
6 cups water
3 cups white vinegar
2 cups hair conditioner
(see picture)
Now how to do it:
Mix water, vinegar, and hair conditioner - stir, don't shake it, it will cause foaming.
Funnel into a 1 gallon container - I used a gallon jug I had left from some wonderful Stroud's sweet tea..yum! Haha
Once I Got mine in my jug I shook it a little to finish mixing the last bit of conditioner that I couldn't get blended well.
Use the same amount normally used in rinse cycle or spritz it on a wash cloth and throw it in the dryer... Our washer shows a fill line for it.
I used 3 cups hair conditioner instead of 2. you can smell it better this way. Iused herbal essences so i spent about $6-7 on this, but you can get hair conditioner really cheap - on sale or at the Dollar Store.
So, total,
6 cups water - Free
3 cups hair conditioner - $2 from dollar store, and some will be left over
3 cups white vinegar - Already had in cupboard
$2-7 for a Gallon size container of fabric softener! Awesome!
I made it last month and you can see how much we have used... And we have lots of laundry being a family of 6!
Ok, now feedback on my opinion of the homemade vs. store bought. Homemade works just as well on our laundry. We do still use fabric sheets on things like fleece blankets and our towels because my hubby hates a static filled blanket! Besides that the clothes are so soft. Love the price of homemade. The only thing that is better about store bought is that the smell is a little stronger/longer lasting!
But overall homemade wins the battle!!
Sorry my picture quality stinks..I am using my iPad to post! And one picture is out of order and I can't fix it...ahhh!
Anyway,
Enjoy!!
