Tips on Tuesday: Homemade Laundry Detergent Revisited

I'm back to revisit the homemade laundry detergent. I'm getting so many questions that I thought we should touch base again.

To catch up those of you who don't know, I started making my own laundry detergent. See This Post for photos of what I did and my reasoning.

I'm getting questions about the Tablespoons. Many of you wonder how I get enough Tablespoons to leave one in laundry detergent, one for my baking soda shampoo and one for my Apple Cider Vinegar conditioning rinse. Simple--baby formula scoops are approximately One Tablespoon. Since none of what I'm using them for is rocket science, I just got a friend to save a few extra scoops for me.

Don't have babies at your house anymore?? Ask around at your church nursery or a local daycare. Most people toss the scoops, so why not recycle them by reusing them for all these other things?

I know I posted the recipe before, but still get many a question. I'm going to repost it here.

Laundry Detergent Recipe:

2 Cups shredded Fels Naptha Bar Soap (or Ivory Bar Soap)

1 Cup Washing Soda (not baking soda!!!)

1 Cup Borax

Mix together and use 1 Tbsp (or formula scoop) per load.

This mixture does not suds so is safe for an HE machine.

Fabric Softener Recipe:

I use a Downy ball and fill with White Vinegar.

I can't tell you how happy I am with the vinegar fabric softener!!! I left a load in the washing machine by mistake. When I discovered the clothes, they were starting to have that lovely "I've been left in the washing machine too long" smell. I did a quick rinse cycle with vinegar and it took the odor out.

The other big test was when the boys went fishing and played in the scummy lake water. (Trust me, it's gross with scum floating on the top of the lake.) Their swim suits smelled horrible and I knew that if I was using commercial products, I'd have to wash the swim suits separately from the other laundry. I tested the theory by putting them in with a regular load of wash, washing with my homemade detergent and using vinegar for the softener. The entire load came out with NO odor. Hooray!!!