Homemade VS. Store Bought

We all have those things we'd rather buy than make due to time constraints. My daughter and I are both sensitive to a lot of store bought things, so sometimes, going with a cheaper alternative is not an option. We as a family have been throwing around the idea of making our own laundry soap. There are of course been pros and cons on this idea. When you purchase store bought, you don't know all the ingredients that are in the laundry soap so you're taking a chance sometimes. Even when the ingredients are listed, they are not always clearly listed. So, while doing some research, I thought I'd share!

By buying from the store, you're saving time and in some cases money (less gas if you can't find all the ingredients you need in one place). Time that it would take to make your own, and time it would take to find all the ingredients at the store and make your way home with them.

By making it at home, it will take some effort and some time, but it may be worth it in the long run. When your family is tight on money, when your family has sensitive skin, it may be beneficial to try this. By making your own, you can make it scented any kind you'd like, or you can make it unscented as well. And a little goes a long way! Below are listed a way to make a liquid and a powder. Both contain basically the same ingredients to make.


Powder:

Step 1: Gather your ingredients. 1 bar of castile soap (unscented or with your favorite scent), a box of washing soda (also known as sodium ash or sodium carbonate), and a box of borax.

Step 2: Take a cheese grater or a food processor and grate the bar of soap into a bowl. Make sure there are no large chunks, that it is finely grated.

Step 3: Mix 2 parts Borax and 2 parts washing soda. Place them in a bowl that will never be used for food. Mix well with a spoon.

Step 4: Add 1 part grated soap to the mixture. So for every cup of Borax and washing soda, you would put in 1/2 a cup of soap. Mix well.

Step 5: (Optional) You can choose to add baking soda to lift heavy smells from clothing or essential oils to make clothing smell nice. A few drops would be enough.

Step 6: Store the detergent in a sealed plastic container with a measuring cup. Use between 1/8 of a cup and 1/4 of a cup per load depending on size.


Liquid:

Step 1: Gather your ingredients. 1 bar of castile soap (unscented or with your favorite scent), a box of washing soda (also known as sodium ash or sodium carbonate), and a box of borax.

Step 2: Take a cheese grater or a food processor and grate the bar of soap into a bowl. Make sure there are no large chunks, that it is finely grated.

Step 3: Mix the soap flakes and 2 quarts of water in a sauce pan over medium heat. Keep mixing it until the soap completely dissolves in water.

Step 4: Heat 4 and a half gallons of water in a large pot until boiling. Pour it into a 5 gallon bucket when you're finished.

Step 5: Stir in once cup each of Borax and Washing Soda. Keep stirring until the powders are dissolved.

Step 6: Stir in the soapy water mix.

Step 7: Cover the bucket and let the ingredients set. They need to meld overnight.

Step 8: Distribute into storage containers. For a large load you will use a cup of liquid detergent and for smaller loads you will use 1/2 a cup.

Both these steps are time consuming, but you can get a considerable amount more loads out of $9.00 worth of ingredients than you can from a store bought detergent!