Perfect DIY Laundry Detergent: Smells Wonderful, Works Better, and it's Cheaper!

My Fab DIY Laundry Detergent!

I'll admit it. I love great smelling laundry.  My laundry must be clean, but it also needs to smell wonderful. When I stumbled across Jen's recipe for DIY laundry detergent, she completely hooked me when she said it not only cleaned great, but smelled awesome!  I was still skeptical, but I thought it would be worth a try.  And...here's the clincher:  $28.00 per year!  I was paying around $75/year for my other detergent.  This stuff smells wonderful, works better, and is cheaper!  Props to Jen, who guest posted at howdoesshe.com.  Thanks for sharing, Jen!


Here's the how-to:

Ingredients:

1 (4 lb 12 oz) Box of Borax - Found in the detergent aisle

1 (3 lb 7 oz) Box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda - Found in the detergent aisle

1 (3 lb) Container of OxyClean - Found in the detergent aisle. 

2 (14.1 oz) Bars of Zote Soap - Found in the detergent aisle (I used pink because it smells fab! Jen says you can also use Fels Naptha)

2 (2 lb) Boxes of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda - Found in the cooking aisle (or one 4 lb box)

1-2 (55 oz) Bottle of Purex Crystals Fabric Softener- Found in the detergent aisle ( I used 2 bottles This is optional, but makes it smell fabulous!)

Ingredients for DIY Laundry Detergent
(Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda not shown)

I began by shredding the Zote soap with a cheese shredder. Don't worry, since it is soap it disolves in hot water and easily comes off of your cheese shredder.  I cheated and used my food processor shredding attachment.  Worked like a charm.  Jen at howdoesshe.com shredded it by hand.  She said it was time consuming to do by hand, so I used the food processor, which was quick and painless!

I cut the soap into pieces that fit into the food processor.

Feeding the soap through the food processor.

Shredded cheese soap.

Because there were so many ingredients, I decided to mix two batches of ingredients.  I blended the shredded soap, the Borax, and the Baking Soda together first.  This Captain America movie popcorn tub worked great for this first batch.  Some of the baking soda and borax was clumpy, so I pushed it through a strainer to make sure it would blend nicely.

I pushed the borax and baking soda
through a strainer to remove clumps.

Next, I layered the remaining ingredients in a large bowl, stirring before adding each layer.  Then, I layered the first batch with the second batch in a leftover kitty litter bucket.  For convenience, I poured a batch into each of the Purex Crystals containers.  It takes 2 tablespoons per load, and the cap to the Purex Crystals container works as a great measuring scoop.

You really must try this - it's easy to make, and it is SO MUCH BETTER than store-bought detergent!  If you make some, please post a comment.  I'd love to hear how you like it!