Moneysaving Laundry Detergent

I don't really have time to coupon as much as I used to in days gone by.  Who doesn't grow weary at the grocery store looking for bargains on things like laundry detergent.  It seems they get more expensive every time I go to the store.  And with a family that needs clothes washed on a daily basis, this gets pretty pricey pretty quickly. So what's a family to do?. We could wash less but it would likely cause unnecessary angst on several levels and it's not a place I really want to go with my family or friends

The simply solution for our family is to make our own laundry detergent.  It really works well and it only cost us about 3 cents per load of laundry. Making our own detergent takes little time and effort as well as saving big bucks. We figured we save about $75 and only spend about $5 to make detergent that last up to well over 275 loads of laundry.  It's easy, inexpensive and actually works.  And there's always the pride of doing something yourself that makes it even more valuable to us. So fill a big bucket and keep a bigger wallet.

RECIPE:

one bar of soap

one box of washing soda

one box of borax

5 gallon bucket w/lid

In a large pan, heat to almost boiling 4 cups water. After it's heated, shave strips of soap (I use my kitchen grater) and stir into hot water until dissolved. set aside.

In 5 gal. bucket pour three gals hot tap water.  Add hot soapy water from the stove.  Stir and then add in the box of washing soda. Stir and add 1/2 cup borax.

Use 1 cup of this mixture per wash.