Homemade Laundry Detergent (Powder form)

In an effort to save some money I decided that I was going to finally try making my own laundry detergent.  I came across a post in a blog probably 3 years ago and thought it was a fantastic idea.  We have always used liquid detergent so at first I was going to try the liquid recipe but the more I thought about it I didn't want the mess and fuss with having to cook the soap and wait a day before using it.  I am the kind of person who likes to make and use immediately to see if it really works.

This past week I have slowly collected the ingredients for this recipe and on Saturday while I was at Walmart I bought the final item, a big glass canister, to place all the detergent in once it was made.

Over the past week I have been searching the internet for a "good" recipe.  Every post I came across with a recipe in it had a different combination of items or extra items added.  So in this post I am not going to give credit to any one blog for the recipe because I created my own from combining other recipes together.  I looked at what they included and then read every single comment and figured out why each item was used.

So without further adieu here is the recipe.

Homemade Laundry Detergent
Ingredients:

1 box Borax (I got the 20-Mule variety)
1 box Arm and Hammer Washing Soda
1 small box of regular Baking Soda
5 1/2 cups of Oxyclean (I got the Sun brand from Walmart)
4 bars of Dove soap (original formula) (other recipes call for 3 bars Fels-Naptha, I chose Dove because I read that you can use any bar soap and I liked the scent of the Dove, but I specifically chose a variety that wasn't "moisturizing")

Shred the bars of soap. -- I used my food processor.  I grated it with the cheese grater blade, then chunked it up into even smaller pieces by using the chopping blade.  

Mix all other ingredients in a trash bag.  Put all ingredients in a trashbag, tie tightly and shake it around to mix all the ingredients well. 

Pour into a container large enough to store the detergent.

And that is it!  It is that easy.  This batch will last a good long time!  Some blogs say it will last a year, but with my larger than average family, I estimate it will last me about 6 months.

I use a tablespoon or two for each load of laundry.  It is safe for HE washers, though I don't have one.  I have a large, top-loading washer.

I have used this now for four loads and I am pleased with the results.  I think that two tablespoons are better than one for our messy, dirty clothes.  I was a bit surprised that there is absolutely no suds with this recipe.  None whatsoever! Not one bubble.  But when I felt the water it felt soapy and slimy so I assume it is doing its work.  I love how my clothes smell.  They smell clean and fresh.  Not much scent but I hear you can add a scent booster in this recipe to give it more scent if you want that.

Also there was much talk in the other blogs about it being safe for septic tanks and it is as each of the ingredients are safe.

I have one thing to ask.  Since I created this recipe myself I appreciate if you post this on your blog please link it back to me.  It is the right thing to do and everything I post here is copyrighted by me so please credit me.  Thank you.

Have a great week!