DIY Laundry Detergent!!

I am SO happy I came across this DIY Laundry detergent recipe over at HowDoesShe. I've always wanted to make my own laundry detergent but never wanted to mess with melted the shredded bar soap on my stove top. This recipe is to make powdered laundry soap and it's really easy to do too!!

You begin by gathering all your ingredients. You need:

A big bucket

A 3lb 7oz box of Washing Soda

A 4lb box of Baking Soda

A 4lb 12oz box of Borax

A 3lb tub of Oxi Clean

2 Bar soaps (recipe calls for Zote but you can use Fels-Naptha as well. 

That's what I used but I forgot to buy two bars 

so I used 1 bar of Dial's White Peach & Shea Butter (not pictured) along with my Fels-Naptha)

A 55oz bottle of Purex Crystals-any scent 

(I used the 28oz bottle-just adds softness & scent so this is optional)

Shred your bars of soap and blend them in a blender or food processor 

to get the pieces extra fine.

(my lil man loved helping)

 Once you have those ingredients finely grated, your ready to add all ingredients into your bucket! It's best to layer each ingredient into the bucket, for easier mixing. That's what we did and stirred it all up with a big wooden dowel stick :)

(Be careful for the powder dust particles. You don't want to be breathing those in)

 Once finished mixing, you can choose to leave your detergent in the bucket, sealed tight til needed, or put it in a cute container. I like HowDoesShe's idea of putting the detergent in the Purex Crystals bottle. I did that for some of the detergent to share for my mom to try.

When you're ready to wash your laundry, use 2-4 Tablespoons (depending on load size) of the detergent and apply to water before you put your clothes in. I washed my sheets in this detergent and it worked wonderfully! No soap scum, no residue, and a nice scent! Next time I would add the 55oz of Purex Crystals as recipe called for, just because I like my laundry smelling strong. Using the 28oz bottle works just fine, but the smell is light. This was a super easy way to make your own laundry detergent and it is said to last a whole YEAR, based on washing 6 loads of laundry a week!! In my family of three, we wash maybe 2-3 loads a week so this should last us a long time!!

 If you've ever made laundry soap or plan to, I'd love to know how it turned out!!