Homemade Powdered Laundry Detergent

Okay... it has been one year since I posted to this blog.  Facebook has taken over my life and I have found it to be a better way to keep family up to date.  However, I do miss creating pages and I can't have a blog without at least one tutorial on it.... Every homemaking/family blog needs a homemade laundry detergent tutorial, lol.  I was inspired by a friend today on facebook and decided, "what the hey?" :)

So... I make the powder version of homemade detergent.  Mostly because I have no place in my overcrowded laundry room to put a 5 gallon bucket of goo.  I make a small batch of powder currently.  One day, when I find that perfect old fashioned retro metal tin to put it in, I will make larger batches.  But right now, I love my mason jar storage.  Just call me an old fashioned girl at heart.... ;)

So here are the ingredients:

I use Arm and Hammer Washing Soda, borax, and Octogon soap.  You can use any kind of laundry soap, Fels Naptha, Zote, etc.  Even ivory... But this is what I have available at my store.  It isn't as pretty. Kind of a 70s avocado green, but I really don't look at my laundry detergent a lot, so I think it is okay. However... maybe using pretty soap will make me do my laundry more.... hmmm... stop that thinking right there, young lady...

First we grate the bar of soap.  You can use a cheese grater, but I use the attachment to my kitchen aid and grate it that way. As you see, this always gets the attention of the little one who then has to "help", lol.

Sandy got this as a safety prize at work.  Isn't that sweet that he picked his prize just for me?  Aren't I a strange wife to love appliances for presents?  Hey, anything that makes my life easier is romantic to me!

Love this part!  In the soap goes... and press.

Little hands love trying to catch the soap.  Yeah, it is a little stringy as it comes out, but it seems to break up into little pieces in the bowl.

Laura helping make a mess.  What fun is it to do something like this if we don't scatter and spill it everywhere???     Now add one cup Washing Soda.

Then add 1/2 cup Borax. 

This is where I use slave labor called my children.  Isn't that the whole point to having kids?  Hey, at least they don't have to get up to change the channel on the tv like we did as kids.  We had it rough!!

  Okay, time to put into the mason jar.  Love my funnel! 

Trying to take photo holding a heavy bowl, pour it into a funnel, while a two year old is reaching in saying, lemme help, lemme help! is challenging.  But I did it! That is why I am so good, lol!

Now I use two spoonfuls for a load of laundry. If Sandy's clothes are extra greasy or dirty from work, I might add one or two more spoonfuls.  So far, this soap has done the job on this family's dirty clothes.  You can add fragrance to it if you would like also. 

This is how it sits on my laundry room shelf.  Isn't that pretty?  And it is all natural and good for the environment.  But I like it because it costs about 2-3 cents a load.  Check out the store shelf labels to see how that compares...