Make it Yourself Dishwasher & Laundry Soaps

Contributed by Katrina Gowen

How many of us wish we could save money at the same time trying to be a little more healthy?  We all know of friends or even family members who have suddenly developed allergies to their laundry soap or other soap they are using and have a tough time finding something that still cleans but won't cost an arm and 10 legs.  

Here are some recipes that might just help you save some money and help with those allergies, not to mention the pocket book if it ever gets to the point where you can't afford store bought soaps.  Fels Naptha at Walmart is $.97 a bar, the baking soda for a big box was around $2-$3, as was the borax and the washing soda.   The following are just a few of the many recipes I found online at sites like Tipnut and Frugal Living.

Dishwasher- Automatic Single Batch

1 TBS Borax

1 TBS Baking Soda

Use this in each soap compartment 

Dishwasher- Automatic Large Batch

1 box Borax

1 box Baking soda

Use enough to fill both compartments

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(*Editor's Note:  Powdered laundry soaps work best when you add it to an empty washer and let it fill part way with water so the powder is allowed to dissolve and distribute throughout.  Although your mileage may vary.)

Laundry Soap- Powdered Small Batch
2 cups Fels Naptha Soap (finely grated) – you could also try Ivory, Kirk's Castile or Zotes
1 cup Washing Soda
1 cup Borax

• Mix well and store in an airtight plastic container.
• Use 2 tablespoons per full load.

Laundry Soap- Powdered Large Batch

12 cups Borax
8 cups Baking Soda
8 cups Washing Soda
8 cups Bar soap (grated)

• Mix all ingredients well and store in a sealed tub.
• Use 1/8 cup of powder per full load.

Laundry Soap- Liquid

1 cup Vinegar (white)
1 cup Baking Soda
1 cup Washing Soda
1/4 cup liquid castile soap

• Mix well and store in sealed container.
• I find it easiest to pour the liquid soap into the bowl first, stirred in the washing soda, then baking soda, then added the vinegar in small batches at a time (the recipe foams up at first). The mixture is a thick paste at first that will break down into a heavy powdered detergent, just keep stirring. There may be some hard lumps, try to break them down when stirring (it really helps to make sure the baking soda isn’t clumpy when first adding). I used 1/2 cup per full load with great results.

(*Editor's Note:  And then get creative and display your soaps in beautiful and fun containers like this!) 

 

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