DIY Laundry Soap

With the economy the way it is everyone is trying to find all the ways they can save that are possible. At least me and my hubby are. We have done some research to figure out how to maybe shrink the expenses related to our grocery bill as this is naturally the second largest piece of our budget (after rent). There are plenty of programs, theories, and strategies that work for a lot of people but it can get a little overwhelming.

Aside from our little garden plot, we try our best to shop the deals, but always spend more than is comfortable... one of the biggest expenses for us is cleaning supplies. More specifically laundry detergent. I came across this tutorial on how to make your own laundry soap and was inspired to give it a shot. What would it hurt to give it a shot right? Turns out, it works great and it doesn't take much. I found a few tutorials via Pinterest and decided I'd try this one here.

3 Simple ingredients:
1 cup washing soda
1 cup Borax
1 bar Fels-Naptha soap

Grate soap in a bowl, add soda and Borax and mix well. It only takes about a tablespoon of this stuff for a rather large load. (If the load is really big I lean more toward the "heaping" tablespoon... just to be safe... not that I ever let my laundry pile up...)

Yes, I thought it looked like cheddar cheese too... but it smells great! 

We've been using it for a while now and we feel like it really works. There is a nice lemon-ey sent as it is put into the wash but it disappears before the rinse cycles. Clothes come out clean and NOT smelly. It has lasted us quite a while and we still have quite a bit left. The other bonus? The price for all three things is less than $10 and it makes like a trillion loads with the whole box of soda/borax. AND... we are helping the environment by not consuming as much chemically stuff... wow, I feel pretty green. 

Update Feb. 2013: Pregnancy sends my nose into disarray early in my first trimester. The smells make me nauseous, and they can stay around for days... I found with my first pregnancy that an unscented detergent worked pretty well. I could at least wear my clothes... but as the smells have returned (with a vengeance) , I can smell the detergent on my bedding (even though I have washed it several times since using it...) This soap is a miracle. My laundry smells clean without actually having a smell. This is a pretty big deal for me...  Success for DIY Laundry soap!