May 27, 2008

Powdered Laundry Detergent

I finally tested this recipe last week. It works pretty well and made Sarah's diapers very soft.

1 Bar of laundry soap, such as Zote (which is pink) or Ivory Snow
1 cup of Washing Soda (I couldn't find this until recently, baking soda would probably work)
1 cup Borax
1 plastic container that holds at least 4 cups

Shred the soap using a hand grater or the grating attachment of a food processor. I used my food processor, but I really don't enjoy cleaning all the parts, so I would use my box grater next time. (I just couldn't find it!)

My bar of Zote soap made 3 cups of grated soap. I used 1.5 cups of the shreds and saved the rest for another batch since I didn't have a bigger container. Mix with the washing soda and borax and you're ready to go. You only use 1 tablespoon per load of laundry and it does not suds up- so don't keep adding more!

It appears to be working like regular detergent. Next time I plan to use Ivory soap because Zote doesn't smell the nicest. Not bad, but not great.

7 comments:

Rachel said...

Hubby and I use to make this all the time. Loved it!

Jen said...

This sounds great. What would/do you use for stains?

Anneatheart said...

For stains I love the Shout gel- the small bottle with the scrubby end on it. It works everytime for me, even if the stain has set.

Anonymous said...

Zote rocks! We buy it for 70 cents/bar from Big Lots. I use borax instead of washing soda and break up the shreddies with a spoon. Actually, hubby is in charge of laundry soap manufacturing because he likes the cheap end product. :)

~Anna

Kate said...

Oh this sounds great! I have found liquid soap resiceps but they are so labor intensive and make 5+ gallons. I will have to try this, and the fabric softener too. THANKS!

Anonymous said...

I am new here but I have tried the dry form of dishwasher detergent and am finding a film on my dishes. I have tried vinegar in the little jet dry area but it still has no effect. Any suggetions??

missmessy said...

Its so fun to post a new comment on an old article. Have you ever tried Soap Nuts? I am a huge fan because I'm not too sure about Borax. I keep hearing conflicting things about the safety of borax, so for now I'm sticking with soap nuts. The cost for our family of 6 is 11 cents per load. way cool!