Homemade Laundry Detergent - The Results Are In!

Back in March my friend Mary taught me how to make homemade laundry soap. I documented the process in THIS  blog post. She sent me home with a 5 gallon bucket of the liquid detergent, and yesterday I did my last load of wash with it. Here are my findings.

Using twice the amount I would typically use with store bought detergent I washed 45 large loads of laundry with one batch / bucket of homemade soap.

Cost analysis:

 BORAX

$3.38 at Walmart for a 76 oz box.

Each box will make 25 batches / buckets

Cost per batch - $ 0.13 per 5 gallon bucket (45 loads)

WASHING SODA

$3.24 at Walmart for a 55 oz box

Each box makes 12 batches / buckets

Cost per batch - $0.27 per 5 gallon bucket (45 loads)

BAR SOAP

$4.30 at Walmart for 10 bars

$0.22 per 1/2 bar














TOTAL COST:
$0.62 PER 5 GALLON BUCKET

1.4 CENTS PER LOAD OF LAUNDRY!

But WAIT, there's more.
Here's an easier way to make the same detergent:


Double the Recipe - MIX TOGETHER:
* 1 cup Borax
* 1 cup Washing Soda

* Place 1 bar bath soap (Ivory) on a plate and microwave for two minutes (very cool!)

* Let cool completely
* Crumble and add to Borax and Washing Soda
* Mix well

VOILA! Powdered laundry soap!


Use 1 TBSP per load of laundry.

* Can be used with High Efficiency front load washers.
* Non toxic
* Low suds
* No phosphates
* No fillers
* Safe for septic tanks

If washing with cold water, dilute laundry powder in hot water first then add to wash.