I did it! Homemade Laundry Detergent

Oh boy, am I proud of myself.  
I am a list maker.  I have lists of my lists.  I'm trying to find ways to not put my life into a list, and still function.  Part of this list making habit, is that when I find a project that I want to work on, I don't let myself begin until I feel like I know everything there is to know about it (a great big list).  Well, this doesn't work out so well because the research could go on FOREVER.  I love Pinterest and it has given me so many fabulous project ideas.  I've got a list of things I want to do, but I've finally decided it's time to act and not worry about knowing everything before I allow myself to discover, explore and have some fun.  

This leads me into my first executed project and a very successful one at that!  I've been thinking about it for months - that I want to make my own laundry detergent.  I've found some awesome Pins with recipes and even had to create my own Board just for homemade soaps and cleaners because I am trying to find all the best recipes before I start.  WELL NO MORE! :)  I was discussing my desire to make laundry soap with some girlfriends, and low and behold, I have a friend that wanted to join me in my new adventure.

I found two recipes and tweaked them a little bit (combined, etc), purchased all the needed ingredients, and made the soap.  I've been using it for a week now and absolutely LOVE it.  My clothes smell great and are so soft.  The directions say to only use 1-2 tbsp per load, but old habits die hard and over the years I've trained myself to use more than what is suggested.  With this soap I do limit it to 2 tbsp, but I catch myself wanting to add more, however, after washing about 10-12 loads I am confident that 2 tbsp is all I need.  The best part is that I spent about $23 and this will last 9 months (according to Being Creative blog).  I'm not sure if 9 months is using 1 tbsp or 2 tbsp.  Either way, it is an awesome money saver.

I'm definitely going to give credit where credit is due.  I found the main recipe on this blog:Being Creative To Keep My Sanity).

I honestly don't know where this next one was originally found, but I will include the link (which was found through a Pin on Pinterest): Pin for Homemade Dry Laundry Detergent.  

These ingredients are pulled from the Being Creative (to keep my sanity) Blogspot.  Please go there for more details and directions for making the laundry soap.

• 1 - 4 lb 12 oz box Borax (2.15 kg or 76 oz) - found in the detergent isle
  
• 1  - 4 lb box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda (1.81 kg) - found in the cooking isle
• 1 - 55oz (3 lb 7 oz) box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda - found in the detergent isle
• 3 bars of Fels-Naptha soap, found in the detergent isle (if you use Zote bars use 2 bars instead, Zote can be found at Home Depot)
• 2 small containers of Oxy Clean or store brand Oxy Clean (try to get about 3.5 lbs total (1.58 kg)) found in the detergent isle

She also states the following:

• It does not have a strong scent, you can add laundry crystals to the batch to add fragrance.

I used all the ingredients listed above.  I purchased Oxyclean and Arm & Hammer Baking Soda at Sam's club, because the price was much cheaper (per oz) than at Wal-Mart.  I also worked well buying it in bulk because I had enough for both me and my friend (also, I have some left over for future creations). The laundry crystals can also be purchased at Sam's or Wal-Mart (they were about the same price per oz).

From the 2nd Pin I added Epsom Salt to the batch.  I ended up using 3 cups for the entire batch. In the research that I've done, Epsom salt is great for hard water (which yellows your white clothes) and acts as a fabric softener.  I've read that table salt is also great in preserving color in clothes and acts as a stain remover.  Now, I'm not saying that Epsom Salt and Table (or Sea, etc) Salt have the same benefits...because I haven't researched it.  Maybe it would be beneficial to use both types in the laundry.  I'll do more research for my next batch.

Here is a breakdown of the cost:

From Wal-Mart:
Crystals - 28oz: $4.76 ($.17 per oz)
Epsom Salt - Net wt 4lb: $2.86  (used 2lbs in batch $.71 per lb x 2 = $1.42)
Borax - 4lb box: $3.38
Super Soda Wash - 4lb box: $3.24
Fels Naptha - 3 bars: $0.97 each ($2.91 total)

From Sam's Club:
Baking Soda - 13.5lb bag: $6.68 ($0.49 per lb x 4lb = $1.96)
Oxiclean - 11lb box: $14.98 ($1.36 per lb x 3.5lb = $4.76) 
Total (for about 2 gallons of laundry detergent) = $22.43