Works for me Wednesday Revisited: Homemade Detergent

 Yes, it is Thursday, but I wanted to share the outcome of the homemade detergent experiment.  This "recipe" made a huge bucket of detergent.  I thought it would never run out, but alas, it finally did.  Almost 7 months later, it is time to gather up the above ingredients and make up another batch.  

I did not notice any difference in the clean factor of our clothes.  For the last week I have been using regular store bought detergent and the clothes are looking the same as when I was using the homemade detergent. 

Have you tried homemade detergent yet?  What do YOU think about it's cleaning qualities?

In an effort to stretch our dollars as far as they can go, I have been researching (translation: spending too much time on Pinterest) the many different "recipes" to make your own detergent.  There are the "wet" recipes and the "dry" recipes.  After reading about both, I decided to go with the dry mix.

Here are the ingredients:  Total Cost - $17.75

1 4 lb 12 oz box Borax (2.15 kg or 76 oz) found in the detergent aisle

1 4 lb box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda (1.81 kg) found in the cooking aisle

1  box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda 55 oz (3 lb 7 oz) found in the detergent aisle

3 bars of Fels-Naptha soap, found in the detergent aisle

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.    

(this is optional, I added it into mine because I have a pretty messy grandson and husband)

Toss all ingredients in a 5 gallon bucket lined with a garbage bag. Use a Heavy Duty Trash Bag. Less of a chance for tearing while mixing.

definitely use a heavy duty trash bag

open and dump

The grating goes quick

looks like shredded cheese!

This part makes your whole house smell great. Once everything is mixed store soap however you like.  Right now  I still store my detergent in the same five gallon bucket and bag that I mixed it in.    I also got a little scoop to keep inside. Wasn't that easy? Sure was! Enjoy your soap.

I have been using the "new" detergent for the last few loads.  I like how it cleans and am looking forward to the money saving benefits too.  It should last several months, but I will keep you posted on exactly how long it does last.