Make Your Own Laundry Detergent (5 cents per load)

By carvalhohm

Ingredients

• Step 1:
• Measure 3/4 cup borax and 3/4 cup Super Washing Soda (or soda ash as I am using in this tutorial) and pour both into the empty one-gallon container.
• Step 2:
• Add about 2 or 3 cups of the hottest water you have available out of your tap. You’ll see a few bubbles form, but nothing to be concerned about.
• Step 3:
• Apply the lid and shake the container vigorously until the powdered ingredients appear to be dissolving. Give yourself a little workout here and shake it well so it looks incorporated and milky like this.
• Step 4:
• Fill the container with hot water to within about an inch of the top, more or less depending on the shape of your container. You want to leave enough room for the Dawn which is coming up.
• Step 5:
• Pour in 3/4 cup blue Dawn dishwashing liquid. Slowly …. you don’t want to create a lot of suds or bubbles.
• Step 6:
• Once you’ve poured in all of the Dawn, fill that measuring cup with more hot water so you can top off the container and rinse out the last of the Dawn.
• If you still have room, add more water until you are about 1/2-inch from the top.
• Step 7:
• Apply the lid. This should be quite easy because you will not be contending with suds or bubbles. Notice how the dawn is not fully mixed up. That’s fine. Just get that lid on tightly.
• Step 8:
• Instead of shaking it up, just lay the container on its side and roll it around a bit to get everything mixed.
• Measure out 1/4 cup detergent.

Preparation

Step 1

Pour it in the way you have always added detergent to your washer. If you have a little detergent dispenser, that’s where this tidy 1/4 cup of beautiful liquid goes.


This detergent is absolutely low sudsing, which is what HE (both top and front loading) washers require. However, if you do not have an HE machine, this detergent is still fabulous and wonderful for your traditional washer.

After an hour or so, the Dawn separates and floats to the top of the container. So I just give it a good shake or roll before each use. Just thought I’d mention that, as I’m nearly sure someone would send me a message of concern over this fact.