DIY Dry Laundry Detergent

This was a very simple Sunday project. It took a total of MAYBE 10 minutes.


Just grate the soap, pour all the dry ingredients into the bucket, tightly put the lid on, and mix away.

You can lift to mix, roll it, turn it upside down…whatever works.

I also opened it up & mixed it a bit with my hands, just to be sure all the soap from the bottom was not sticking.

1 (4 lb 12 oz) Box of Borax



1 (3 lb 7 oz) Box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda



1 (3 lb) Container of OxyClean



3 (5 & 1/2 oz. Bars of Fels Naptha Soap



1 (4 lb) Box of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda



1 (55 oz) Bottle of Purex Crystals Fabric Softener



I was able to find all of these products together in the laundry department at Walmart. I know for sure that if you can’t find them there or in any other store around you, they have them all on Amazon.com

A 5 Gallon bucket (with lid!)

 

 

Grating the soap. This was the only “labor intensive” part of this. And it really wasn’t at all. I had the luck of finding a grater that fit right over the side of my bucket, with an easy grip on top. I suggest the fine grate side, and just go to town. Takes 5 minutes…TOPS!

Awww look how pretty!

I suggest saving the scoop out of the empty OxyClean bucket to make for easy filling into whatever container you use.

The empty Purex bottle is perfect for filling & using in the laundry room if you don’t want to have a ginormous bucket sitting there. It also has handy measuring lines in the cap. The middle line is all you’ll need for a normal size load

I took the outside label off, so I could see any settling. I suggest not filling it completely, so you have some room to shake it up before each use.

So, that's it! Very easy & a HUGE money saver!  I will post an update when I know exactly how long this lasts & just HOW cost effective it was.

I've done some loads of laundry already & I can say that it cleaned everything very well. Even my husband's work jeans! The towels came out of the dryer very soft & fluffy & smell AMAZING!

All the laundry just smells, looks & feels great!

So, no more fabric softener, no more Bounce sheets! YAY!!!! This will save me a fortune!

I hope you give it a try. It really is super easy :)

***2015 CHANGES TO THIS ORIGINAL RECIPE***

*Changed to 5.5lb OxyClean

*Changed to 2 bars of Zote White Soap instead of Fels Naptha

*Added a small Downy Unstoppables (any smell you like) in addition to the Purex

COST

Borax...$3.97

Washing Soda...$3.97

Baking Soda...$2.24

OxyClean...$9.47

Zote...$1.50 (.75 each)

Purex...$8.96

Unstoppables...$6.97

TOTAL...= $37.08

This blend lasts me AT LEAST 9 months, so that is $4.12 a month.