Thrifty Tip Thursday

Anyone who knows my family knows I have some pretty cool relatives. My cousins are no exception. Over a year ago, one of my amazing cousins started making her own laundry detergent. I was impressed, but I had a friend who had had a bad experience with this, so I didn't try to do it myself. However, the detergent making spread throughout the family. I think all my cousin's sisters and sister-in-laws are now making their own detergent.

Enough time had passed that I could start asking my cousins questions like: Does it really clean your clothes as well? Does it ruin your clothes over time? What about new washing machines? Because I know my cousins well, I really trusted their opinions. They all are very happy with how well the detergent cleans their clothes; one cousin says it cleans her clothes better than Tide used to; since they have been using it for quite awhile (longer than a year) they can safely say it isn't ruining their clothes at all. Also, if you have a new High Efficiency washer, it works just fine for that, too, as one of my cousins did a ton of research to make sure before she began using it with hers.

I was still skeptical that making the detergent would be a lot of work and effort, and I wasn't sure it would be worth it. But I decided to give it a try. And I was amazed - AMAZED! - at how easy it was to make. And how inexpensive. I have definitely committed to making this for years to come. I usually bought cheap store detergent (All, anyone?) and I have been using this homemade detergent long enough to confidently say that it cleans at least as well as the All or Sun brand detergents did. Probably better. Definitely better. I like the smell. And I made 5 gallons of detergent for less than $4. Are you convinced yet? Here's how to make it if you want to give it a try.

STEP 1: GATHER THE SUPPLIES

You will need:

• 1 Bar Fels Naptha Soap
• 1 cup Borax
• 1 cup Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda
• Water
• a measuring cup
• a stirring spoon
• a cheese grater
• a large pot
• some sort of 5 gallon container
• and a large stirring stick (for the 5 gallon container)

Notes: I spent about $12 on all the supplies up front, but I only used 1 cup of Borax and 1 cup of Washing Soda, and I'll reuse my 5 gallon container, so next time it will only cost me $1 to make. I found all the soap supplies at my local King Soopers grocery store. Walmart sells the Borax for cheaper, but doesn't carry the other things. I used an especially large pot, because I was warned that it's easy to accidently boil over the soap. But I definitely think you could get away with using a much smaller pot, especially if you're watchful so it doesn't boil over. I didn't want to buy a 5 gallon bucket for this, so I went to Walmart and bought a five gallon basic plastic garbage can for about $2. And my large stirring stick is an old wand from our blinds that broke. :)

STEP 2: COOK THE SOAP

• Pour 6 cups of water into your pot and heat it just shy of boiling. You want it warm enough to melt the soap, but not enough to boil over.
• While the water is warming, grate the bar of soap into small pieces. I took a picture of this, but it didn't turn out, but my plate of grated soap looked exactly like a plate of grated cheese! Ha ha ha! Better warn your husband and kids before they try a handful! ;)
• Add the shredded soap to the pot of heated water. Stir the mixture until the soap is completely melted.
• Once the soap is melted, add 1 cup Borax and 1 cup Washing Soda to the melted soap mixture. Stir until dissolved. (This is where your soap might boil over if you're not careful!)

STEP 3: MIX EVERYTHING IN A 5-GALLON CONTAINER

• Pour three gallons of hot water into the 5-gallon container, then add in the melted soap mixture from the stove top.
• Mix everything together.
• Optional fragrance: if you prefer to have a pleasant scent, you can add a few drops of essential oils at this time. I didn't add anything, because I liked the smell of the soap just fine. The amount of fragrance you add is strictly personal preference.

STEP 4: LET SIT OVERNIGHT

• Now that everything is mixed and dissolved, cover your 5-gallon container and place it somewhere it won't be disturbed. Let is cool over night. It will begin to gel as it cools. It does not gel uniformly so the next day it will look like Egg Drop soup. See:

STEP 5: STORE IN SMALLER CONTAINERS

Isn't this a great post for Earth Day? Now is your chance to re-use all those almost-empty detergent bottles around your house and stop adding them to the landfills! ;)

• A funnel and a large pouring container, such as a pitcher, is useful for this step. Pour the finished detergent from your 5-gallon container into smaller containers to use. It will look something like this:

And look what you did! You're amazing! Make sure not to tell your husband how easy this is, so he can brag about what a wonder woman you are! And look how much detergent I now have; everything is filled to the brim expect the clear soap container, which was the last one I filled:

Happy Laundering!