Homemade...laundry detergent?

I'm a bit of a thrifty person. I've "made" my own shampoo for the past 2 years, foregoing traditional shampoos for a cheaper and "greener" baking soda and ACV (apple cider vinegar) version. I've dabbled in homemade "Drano" (not the best experience), as well as greener ways to clean around the house using white vinegar and other pantry staples. With baby coming and traditional cleaning supplies not "pregnant-friendly," I'm biting the bullet and having a bit of fun this afternoon.

I'm making my own laundry detergent. I've put it off for two years due to the move from GA, living in the basement with a tiny kitchen, finishing off the store bought detergents, etc. Today we're low on detergent, Matt's out skiing (so he is unable to mock my silly homemade inventions), and I have the house to myself. So, here's to the great experiment.

First, you have several options and recipes for laundry detergents. I found the one that I'll be using today at TipNut.

Now, to decide on which recipe will work best for (a) your machine, (b) your comfort level in "making" detergent, and (C) your basic preferences (liquid or powder).

I chose Recipe #9. It makes a powdered detergent in bulk and uses a combination of Borax (for stains and brightener- still safe for colors), washing soda (also used as laundry booster and stain remover), Ivory bar soap, and baking soda (which acts as a fabric softener - so does white vinegar).

Powdered Laundry Detergent – Recipe #9

12 cups Borax

8 cups Baking Soda

8 cups Washing Soda

8 cups Bar soap (grated) - I chose to use my food processor.

Mix all ingredients well and store in a sealed tub.

Use 1/8 cup (1.5 TBSP) of powder per full load.

I halved the recipe and it made 18 cups of powdered detergent. I haven't used it yet - I'll get the opportunity later on today. I'll keep you posted - I'll also try to include a price per load breakdown for all you really thrifty chickadees.

*Borax can be a bit caustic - wear plastic gloves while mixing and a face mask to keep from breathing in any fumes.

**Also, the bars of soap resemble dippin' dots once grated. It's normal and the final powder detergent will have some lumps due to the texture of the soap - don't worry.