How to Make Inexpensive Laundry Detergent

Aside from liquid detergent, you can also make an inexpensive laundry detergent soap from your home. This is just very easy to make although some ingredients can not be found easily in the supermarket but there are lots of distributors of these items.

This evening while surfing the net I found the simple dollar site where Trent, the site owner, experimented on how to make a very simple yet very effective laundry soap in his kitchen. This was also confirmed by his readers and it was concluded that it’s really economical, very effective and does not cause any skin irritations.

I believe this is very economical for those who have a laundry business and for moms of course. This can be an alternative to those expensive laundry detergents we have in our homes.

Here’s what you need:

– 1 bar of laundry soap (whatever kind you like; you can use Perla soap etc) DON’T USE “beauty bar” like Dove.
– 1 cup of washing soda or soda ash (better known as sodium carbonate, It cuts grease on anything).
– 1/2 cup of borax also known as sodium borate or sodium tetraborate, a natural disenfectant (Use this with precaution)
– A five gallon bucket with a lid (or a bucket that will hold more than 15 liters)
– Three gallons of tap water
– A big spoon to stir the mixture with
– A measuring cup
– A grater or knife
– A hand glove (use this when mixing to avoid any irritations)
– takes about 15 minutes to make

Step One: Put about four cups of water into a pan on your stove and turn the heat up on high until it’s almost boiling. While you’re waiting, you can grate the bar soap until you’re finished. Lower down your heat and put your grated Perla soap in the hot water slowly, then stir it until the soap is totally dissolved and you have some highly soapy water.

Step Two: Put three gallons of hot water (11 liters or so) into the five gallon bucket. Then mix in the hot soapy water from step one, stir it for a while, then add one (1) cup of the washing soda. Keep stirring it for another minute or two, then add a one-half cup of borax if you are using borax. Stir for another couple of minutes, then let the stuff sit overnight to cool or until mixture thickens. After the liquid thickens, you can take the empty liquid detergent container(s) to pour and store the detergent. Be sure to rinse the containers out well.

If you have done it right, the final product will look slimy or gel- like in appearance. If you want to make in a lesser quantity, just follow the instructions below.

For a 1/4 batch:
– 1/4 bar soap
– 1 cup hot water
– 3 L water
– 1/4 cup washing soda
– 2 Tbsp borax (you can use 1 cup if your water is of extremely hard water)
Follow directions in original post. It makes just under 1 gallon which fits perfectly in the bucket you have.

WASHING INSTRUCTIONS
Use 1/2 cup of mixture per regular load; 2/3 cup for larger loads. Please note, this detergent will not make suds but cleans very well.

Worried about residue? Add 1/4 to a 1/2 cup of white distilled vinegar to the rinse. No, your clothes will not come out smelling like vinegar. They will just smell really fresh and clean.

Dry Detergent Soap
12 cups Borax
8 cups Baking Soda
8 cups Washing Soda or soda ash (labeled as washing soda)
8 cups Bar soap (grated) If you don’t make your own soap, use perla or any laundry soap.

Procedure:
– Mix all ingredients well and store in a sealed tub or clean containers
·- Use 1/8 cup of powder per full load.

For those of you that use baking soda to clean your house with (because lets face it, baking soda has a million uses) you can buy it at any supermarket. You can use baking soda to clean so many things in your house along with borax and vinegar. Really, you can use this laundry soap to clean almost anything in your home. You can make an all-purpose spray recipe for cleaning glass and other surfaces in your home by the gallon. It cuts grease and washes windows without streaks. It is so much cheaper than buying all those strong chemical-smelling sprays.

Basic All Purpose Cleaner Formula
– 1/2 teaspoon baking soda or washing soda
– 2 teaspoons borax
– 1/2 teaspoon liquid soap or detergent
– 2 cups hot water

Combine all the ingredients and the water into a spray bottle. Shake well. The washing soda or baking soda makes this formula a great grease cutter.

Tips Before You Get Started
– Mix in a well-ventilated area
– Label containers and store in a safe place
– Don’t mix bleach and ammonia
– Don’t store in food containers

All Purpose Spray Cleaner with Ammonia

– 1L of 50% rubbing alcohol, or 500 ml of 70% rubbing alcohol
– 1 tablespoon dishwashing detergent
– 1/2 – 1 cup household ammonia. The amount you use is up to you and how much grease fighting you need. (You can omit this if you want)
– 1 ½ cup white vinegar (you can get this in your local supermarket)

Mix in a gallon jug. Fill jug with warm water and shake. You can put this in a spray bottle and use as you would. Great for cleaning windows, kitchen and bath fixtures. You can even use this to clean your wood cabinets with no ill effects.

Source: thesimpledollar.com by Trent, http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/03/15/how-to-make-your-own-laundry-detergent-and-save-big-money/

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