Saturday, February 25, 2012

Powdered Laundry Soap and Dishwasher Detergent


We've been using this laundry powder for years and love it! If you are washing your clothes in cold water, heat up a cup of hot water to dissolve the powder in first before putting it into the washing machine.

1 box Borax
1 4lb. box of baking soda
1 box of Washing Soda
3 bars Fels-Naptha Soap or Ivory or Dr. Bonner's Soap
5 1/2 cups Oxyclean

Grate the soap finely in a food processor.  Mix in a bit of the washing soda to prevent the soap from getting sticky. Combine all the ingredients in a 5 gallon bucket and stir well.

Use 1 to 2 Tablespoons per load.  It comes out to about 3 cents a load. It does a great job and even works in cold water with whites and darks!

I bought the Fels-Naptha here.  Some women have told me they can get it cheaper at Walmart or Ace Hardware. Our Walmart carries all of the supplies. You can also use Dr. Bonner's Bar Soap which I have been using lately and love it!

Also, if you can't find Washing Soda, I read that you just have to spread baking soda on a cookie sheet and bake it at 350 degrees for 30 minutes and you'll have washing soda.



I just put it in a glass container and leave it on my dryer with a Tablespoon in it all ready to go.  Make sure you keep it sealed or it may start clumping up.  It smells wonderful!

Amazing Dishwasher Detergent



This stuff makes your dishes come out of the dishwasher sparkling clean! I realize the Dawn and OxiClean may not be completely environmentally friendly but you use such a small amount in every load so I am sure it is much better than Cascade!

Mix together ~

1 teaspoon OxiClean
1/2 teaspoon Dawn
Put it into Dishwasher Dispenser

Put 1/2 cup of vinegar on the top shelf.

That's it and your dishes will come out so clean!