Laundry Detergent

Okay so I hope the title didn't scare you away!!! Keep reading.... I actually like doing laundry! My favorite laundry detergent is GAIN....ISLAND FRESH. Occasionally when my children are being good at the grocery store I like to take time to sniff all the detergents to see if I find something better. There are so many wonderful choices it's hard to pick but Gain island fresh is still my favorite! So you will always see extra bottles of it in my food storage! If the stores are empty....well my clothes will still smell good!! But you know what ticks me off??? It is so darn expensive!!! Seriously, it's not fair! I only have 2 children and I do a tonne of laundry. I can't even imagine what 4 children would be like?? So curiosity led me to the Duggar website. Here is a family with 18 kids... what do they use?? Guess what....they make it! Yep that's right, and the recipe is really easy and cheap. And for just a few bucks you can do 640 loads!!
No this is not a typo!! So here you go...Add these ingredients to your next shopping trip!
Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine- best value
4 Cups - hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar (you can use any non perfume type bar of soap)
1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*
½ Cup Borax
- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted. -Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken. -Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel) -Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil. -Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons. -Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads) -Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads) *Arm & Hammer "Super Washing Soda" - in some stores or may be purchased online here (at Meijer.com). Baking Soda will not work, nor will Arm & Hammer Detergent - It must be sodium carbonate!!
Happy washing everyone!!!