When Allison blogged about her homemade detergent, I honestly chucked. I envisioned her tiny 5’2 frame stirring that big ole container of lavender scented detergent for the good of saving a few bucks. Well, last month [much to our surprise] Matt was laid off and after all of the shock and anger wore off…we were forced to evaluate our spending to see where we could cut corners. I searched for a job in the Austin market for 7 months, so we just did not know what to anticipate [and I started to freak out.] Fortunately, it took my kick-ass husband less than three weeks to get another job, but that didn’t keep me from trying to pinch pennies. I looked to my amazing co-founder, partner in crime and friend for inspiration and Googled “homemade powdered detergent.” And welllllll..what do you know…it’s easy as pie to make and costs less than $15 for a six month supply! Cha Ching!
Here are the easy breezy steps to making your own homemade powdered detergent!
Ingredients all found in the laundry aisle at HEB on 620 and Anderson Mill:
- 1 – 55 ounce box of Arm & Hammer® Super Washing Soda = $3.99
- 1 – 76 ounce box of 20 Mule Team® Borax = $4.99
- 1 – 10 pack of 4.5 ounce bars of Zest Soap=$5.99
Other items needed:
- Bowl for mixing
- Cheese grater
- One (1) measuring cup
- Container for final product
Steps:
-
Take one bar of soap and scrape it across the cheese into the mixing bowl (this step takes the longest)
- Add one (1) cup of borax
- Add one (1) cup of washing soda
- Mix together for about five minutes
Voila! You’re done!
Each batch yields approximately 32 loads. You only need to use one tablespoon for each load unless it’s reallllllly dirty…than you can use two!
Does zest have fragrance? I’m wondering about my sensitive skin and can’t remember if it does or not. Did u see other soaps as an option or mostly just zest? Thanks!
Yes, Zest does have a fragrance but not a very strong one. You can use whatever soap you’d like.