Homemade Laundry Powder

As a woman that has a very messy, active toddler and a husband that works in the construction industry, I can tell you that we do a LOT of laundry.  And it seems that laundry detergent, just like everything else these days, is jumping in price.  It is frustrating.

So when I came across this post over on Soule Mama about making your own laundry detergent, I was very excited.  I had never thought of making my own laundry detergent.  But the proposed cost savings are pretty awesome and I am all for science-fair-style experiments in the house.  It sounded fun.  So I decided, "what the heck, let's try it and see what happens."

First, I set off in search of materials.  I was lucky.  I found them all at HEB (a grocery store) and the castile soap was even on sale.  Score!

And let me just tell you, this peppermint soap smells like heaven!  It almost makes me enjoy doing laundry... wow, I can believe I just said that.

Once all the materials were gathered, I went about grating the soap and mixing everything all together.  Here is the official recipe...

Homemade Laundry Powder
(Makes approximately 5 cups)

1 bar of grated castile soap

1 cup borax
1 cup baking soda
1 cup soda ash (washing soda)

Mix everything together, and store in an airtight jar. Depending on your water, you might need to adjust the sodas a bit, and the amount used per load. I use about 1/8 cup per load. 

We have been using this laundry powder for a little over a month now and I really like it.  My clothes are clean, I save money and  I like knowing that the ingredients are non-toxic.

Anyways, if you are looking for ways to simplify and save money, I would highly recommend trying this out and see if it works for your family.