Make your own laundry detergent

Making your own homemade laundry detergent can save you money and eliminate chemicals that affect the environment.

Making your own homemade laundry detergent can save you money and eliminate chemicals that affect the environment. Here is a recipe that will help accomplish this. All ingredients can be found at your local grocery store in the laundry section.

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Ingredients:

• 1 bar of Fels Naptha soap, shaved
• 4 cups of hot water to melt the soap
• 3 gallons of hot water
• 1 cup of borax
• 2 cups of washing soda
• 1 cup of baking soda
• 1 large Rubbermaid container, about 4 to 5 gallon size

Instructions:

Grate the soap into a saucepan. You can use either use a box grater or an old food processor for this. Do not use this tool for food, however. Add 4 cups of hot water to the pan. Simmer on low, until the soap melts completely into the water. Add borax, washing soda and baking soda to the hot water. Simmer on low, until it dissolves. If the mixture is not melting, add more water as needed. Add 3 gallons of hot water to the large container. Add the mixture to the hot water. Mix with a large spoon, until it completely dissolves. Let cool overnight. You will notice that it turns into a thick gel.

Use 1 cup per load of laundry.

Source: www.hillbillyhousewife.com.

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 29, Number 6, Dec 2010/Jan 2011.