Recipe for Homemade Laundry Detergent

In my process of becoming more environmentally-positive and intentional in what I bring into both my home environment as well as my physical body, I am always on the lookout for ways to keep my home healthy and clean without breaking my budget. Over the past year, I've tried quite a few "eco-friendly" laundry detergents and they are not all created equal. I tried one powder that clumped in the washer and left white gloppy chunks all over my "clean" clothes. I have tried some "all natural" options that contained quite unnatural levels of fragrance. I tried a few others I liked, and sometimes have even used Dr. Bronner's liquid soap. It seems every time I find one I like, it becomes impossible to find again, and all in all it's becoming a rather costly process.

A friend of mine recently posted this recipe for homemade laundry detergent on her Facebook page. She got the recipe from one of her favorite magazines, Contryside & Small Stock Journal.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 bar of Fels Naptha, 5.5 oz. bar

• 1/2 cup of washing soda

• 1/2 cup of borax powder

• 1 Tbs. of essential oil (optional)

Two 1-gallon jugs

Grate the soap and put it in a large saucepan with 6 cups of water over medium heat. Heat the mixture until the soap melts. Add the washing soda, borax, and essential oil (if desired), stirring constantly until all has dissolved. Let it set for 5 minutes over the heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let set for another 5 minutes. Using a funnel put half the mixture in each gallon jug. Fill each jug halfway with hot water, and shake well. Continue to fill the jug to the top with hot water. Shake again then put aside for about 24 hours. This gels up and looks like egg whites.

My friend uses 1 cup in her HE front loader and adds a cup of distilled vinegar to items that require extra deodorizing (she's got an adorable baby boy and hence, cloth diapers).