MAKE YOUR OWN DETERGENT, 600 LOADS for 6$ by ERIN THE BLOGGER.* Talk about a frugal inventor woman! She says we can make our own TIDE CLOTHES DETERGENT using soap tails, borax and soda! Go see her wondrous website at the ERIN'S WHY NOT SEW area of BLOGSPOT Surf to http://whynotsew.blogspot.com/2010/08/how-to-make-homemade-laundry-detergent.html
You can use that article to get to all her other pages on making your own clothing, the frugal lifestyle, cutting loose of the corporations that suck our money out thru the hole in the skull we all have about consumership. She writes on this page about how her homemade detergent equals Tide and costs a penny a load to use. (Based on a half cup per load.) To do this, one will need:
1 bar of soap (any kind you want) or equal weight in soap stubs, tails, ends too unsightly for bathroom
1 cup of Borax
1 cup of washing soda
a big pot ( that holds more than 2 gallons)
and UTENSILS:
a grater
a funnel
a long spoon ( She uses these utensils for detergent making only. They all stay in the pot until she makes a new batch.)2 empty gallon jugs/containers
METHOD: Grate your bar of soap into your pot. Fill one gallon jug to measure out the right amt. and pour water into pot with grated soap. Cook until the grated soap dissolves. Add the Borax and washing soda. Bring to a boil. It will coagulate. Turn off the heat. Add 1 gallon of cold water. Stir well. Pour 1 gallon of your detergent into each container.
The funnel helps tremendously. Now you have 2 gallons of homemade laundry detergent. I use 1/2 cup per load. With the prices of detergent being outrageous, I feel really happy every time I make a batch of this. NOTE: This won't make many, if any, suds. Suds don't equal clean. It took a while to get that into my head. This detergent cleans wonderfully!
Let me know if you make any or if you have any questions. Happy washing!
******edited to add that I now just keep my detergent in the pot I cook it in with the lid on. When I run out I make up a new batch in that pot and it's ready to go. I like saving the step of transferring into the jugs.
****** edited 8/8/2011 to address those of you with the issue of the detergent becoming too thick. Try using 1/2 of a bar of soap instead.
***** edited 7/2011 to add that the detergent should thicken / coagulate when it cools. Usually within 24 hours!
* Edited 1/2011 to add comment from below about cost/savings! estimated cost is $6.00 for 576 loads (depending on soap used and amount used per load, ONE BOX of Borax and ONE BOX of Washing soda)
The savings are incredible.???As with ALL cleaning products KEEP OUT OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN particularly if you are using recycled food type containers!!!!???
THEN FIFTY WRITERS-IN tell ERIN the blogger about THEIR MAKE TIDE ADVENTURES! SO go to the webpage and hear them.
OTHER RECIPES AT OTHER PAGES: http://wellnessmama.com/462/how-to-make-nautral-homemade-laundry-detergent/
http://www.thesimpledollar.com/how-to-make-your-own-laundry-detergent-and-save-big-money/
http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/laundrysoap.htm