What you will need:
1 bar of Fels-Naptha soap
1 55oz box of Arm & Hammer WASHING soda
1 72oz box of Borax
1 16oz tub of Oxyclean (I use Dollar Tree brand)
a microwave-safe plate or dish
a cheese grater with a fine (not long) cut
a container to mix ingredients
a 2tablespoon scoop
a container to store finished product
1) The first thing I did was cut my soap into fourths. then, one piece at a time, heat them individually for 35-45 seconds. It will transform from a block to the blob you see in the picture to the left. It was so awesome to watch that I had Monkey come and watch me do the rest. He loved watching them transform.
This process also fills your house with a clean smell from the soap, so it's a two-for-one! Don't worry, it doesn't stink up your microwave for weeks afterward. It goes away quickly. :)
LET THE SOAP COOL! Very important unless you are a sadist who enjoys melting the skin off of your hands.
2) Then, grate the soap using a fine grater. I grated 1 bar of soap for a small batch. I'll list the ratio at the end in case you want to make a larger batch (which I did because it worked so well!). You can also substitute Ivory soap for a different scent. I've also read that some people think Ivory works as a fabric softener. I need to try that to find out.
3) Next, mix in 1 cup of Borax.
(Yep, that's my hand.)
Very important to MIX WELL when you add each ingredient. Remember: all of this stuff will be working together.
4) Mix 1 cup of washing soda. As stated before, mix well.
5) Mix 3/4cup - 1 cup of Oxyclean. I use the Dollar Tree brand called Awesome Oxygen. Exactly the same, but it costs ONE DOLLAR, not six dollars...
Remember, mix well... See the theme?
When all of the ingredients have been mixed (mixed WELL, that is), this is what you end up with. A clean smelling mixture that works amazingly well.
I bought this container at the Dollar Tree when I bought the faux-Oxyclean. Also, in the jar is a small 2 tablespoon scoop. Yes, you read that right. It only takes 2 tablespoons to do a load of laundry! In the end, this detergent costs about $.05-.10 PER LOAD. To give you an reference point, the average cost of laundry per load of store bought detergent is $.20+ per load. Your total cost of ingredients is roughly $9.00 and if you spend another dollar for soap, it's about 6 months of soap for $10 bucks! If you can get this stuff on sale or use off-brands to get them cheaper, your savings are going to be even greater.
So, that's that. I hope this helps someone. I was tired of spending $20 bucks a month or every 6 weeks for detergent; especially when for $9 I could make enough to last me for 3 months. Try it out and see what you think. :)
