Cut Your Laundry Costs in Half – DIY Laundry Detergent Recipe

Loads of people are learning the benefits of making their own laundry detergent. Not only does it help to save money – and we'll see just how much money in a second – you also get to regulate the ingredients so you can avoid using preservatives and other chemicals on your family's wash.

Now, on to the recipe. In order to make laundry detergent, you will need Super Washing Soda, Mule Team Borax, Pure Baking Soda and Fels-Naptha soap (Note that you can use Ivory soap in place of the Fels-Naptha).

To make between 32 and 64 loads, depending on how much you use for each wash load, you just mix the entire box of washing soda, borax and baking soda with 3 bars of soap. You have to shave or grate the soap before mixing. If you only use about 2 tablespoons of detergent for each wash load, this gives you 64 loads.

Now, let's break it down and see how much you can save. The washing soda costs around $3.50 for a 3 lb. 7 oz. box. The borax costs about $3.50 for a 4 lb. 12 oz. box and the pure baking soda is around $2 for 4 lb. Whether you choose Ivory or Fels-Naptha soap, you are going to spend about $1 for 3 bars.

This comes to just $10 for 64 loads of laundry. 64 ounces of Tide or any other major laundry detergent is going to cost you more than $20, so you can cut your laundry costs in half by making your own.