It may seem like a big faf when you can pop down to the shops and buy some, but a little bit of time and effort will save you a lot of money and you can be safe in the knowledge no nasty chemicals are lurking in your laundry detergent. Out of everything that I have made (or attempted too) this has been the biggest money saver so far, as having a little boy in terry nappies and a big boy chucking lots of smelly clothes on the floor means lots of washing for mummy. The amount that you will get from the recipe below will make enough detergent for around 3 months and costs no more than a pound.
2oz (50g) natural soap - I use Dr. Bonners castille soap, which I get from Amazon
1/2 cup sodium carbonate (aka washing soda/soda crystals)
1/2 cup of borax substitute (borax is banned over here so we don't want that) again I get it from Amazon. Its also great for washing the bath and sink out
3 pints water
1 bucket hot water
container and lids ( I got people to save some old detergent bottles)
1. Grate the soap and place the shavings in a saucepan and add the tap water. Mix until the soap melts.
2. Toss in the sodium carbonate and borax substitute and stir.
3. Once the mixture has thickened a little bit, remove from hob and let it cool for a while.
4. Fill the bucket with a quarter of hot water, pour in the solution and mix. Once mixed pour in the rest.
5. Mix thoroughly then let it settle for around 24 hours.
6. Pour the detergent into containers, making sure they are covered when not in use.
It's as simple as that!
I always add 60 drops of lavender oil in step 4. I might start experimenting with different smells too. Be warned your clothes will not have that strongly fragranced smell you get with brands like persil and ariel (due to the synthetic fragrances they put in, which are not good for you). Now if I ever wear clothes washed with a fragranced detergent I find the smell really overpowering. If you have a little one, or a big one for that matter, who suffers with eczema switching to a fragrance free detergent will really help. It is very satisfying using something you have made from scratch and leaves lots more pennies for much more exciting things.
