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| Mine is a nice sherbet color as I make a double batch and use both Fels Naptha and Zote (orange and pink) |
Quick and easy, and after the initial investment for supplies, you have wonderful and frugal laundry detergent that works as well as the commercial brands, but for far less money. Essential oils are optional. I use them, but it really does smell good even without. I looked online to find a 'laundry' scented oil but the Fels Naptha and Zote are wonderful smelling on their own so don't feel you need an oil or scent booster.
I posted this last October but I make this every couple weeks and since I just made another batch this morning, I thought I'd post it again for those who missed it the first time!
Homemade Laundry Detergent
1 bar either Fels Naptha or Zote laundry soap (bar form)
1 c Arm & Hammer WASHING soda
1 c 20 Mule Team Borax
1 c Oxi-Clean (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons essential oil in your favorite scent (optional)
1 container to store it
Grate the soap bar into a large bowl with a hand grater or use a food processor. Fels Naptha tends to be harder to grate and is worth using a food processor or salad shooter with the shred disc. Zote is easily grated by hand as it's far softer. When grated, add 1 cup each of the Oxi-clean, washing soda and Borax. Add oil to scent if you are using - we like our laundry to smell wonderful so I use about cap full.
You can use the mixture as it is, I suggest making a fine powder of it to ensure it's mixed equally all the way through, and is quickly and easily disintegrated in the laundry. If you only have a blender: Put 1 cup at a time through your blender and blend smooth. Only do 1 cup as the soap particles might clog your blender. For food processors: I've tried both the S-blade and the grating blade. I think the S-blade works best and makes the smoothest powder.
Place in a container and 2 heaping tablespoons. We love this stuff so much we use about 4 on average. Just use more or less depending if the clothing are heavily soiled or a large or small load.
(For the container - I found a simple "flour storage" container at a local retail store that works great for a double batch. Any tightly sealed container will work to keep out moisture and keep it from spilling.)
