3 Ingredient Laundry Detergent Recipe- With Borax!

 

 

*Update, I researched a little more and this recipe is safe for HE washers. WHOO!

I’ve seen countless recipes floating around Pinterest, and after many tests and trials I’ve finally come up with a recipe that works for me! It is so simple- 3 very affordable ingredients!

I’ve been using homemade laundry detergent for about a year now, and it is great! It is quick and easy it is to make, the supplies last forever, and it washes my clothes so well.

Supplies:

• Air tight Container- I purchased mine at Hobby Lobby and personalized it
• Downy Unstoppables- I use the blue scent and get the bulk big bottle at Sams Club
•  Oxyclean Powder - You could also use Arm and Hammer Washing Soda- a bit cheaper, but I prefer Oxyclean
• 20 Mule Team Borax- You can buy this pretty much anywhere, but Amazon had the cheapest price
• Optional- 3 Dove soap bars or Fels Nptha soap

Directions:

1. Combine 9 1/2 cups (or 1 box) of Borax with 9 1/2 cups Oxyclean.

2. Then add in 2 large capfuls of the Unstoppables, sometimes a bit more, and stir everything up.

3. *Optional* Grate up the Dove soap into good sized chunks and throw into a food processor. Blend in the processor until powdery.

*I stopped using the soap because I couldn’t get the bits  fine enough and they never fully disintegrated in the wash which caused small chunks of soap to be left in my washing machine. To compensate for this, I use the 2 capfuls of Downy for the scent.

When choosing a container for storage make sure that the container is sealed tight, this powder does get chunky and hard after a while (trust me, this stuff lasts forever!) if not sealed up very well

I use a scoopful in the wash (about ¼ cup).

If my laundry is super dirty (from gardening, grass stains, mud, etc) I just add an extra ½ scoop to the wash and use hot water. I normally only wash my laundry in warm/cold water. And if it is super stinky (i.e. - Cyle’s military uniforms) I add a few extra shakes of the Unstoppables to the load to rid of any stink.

Also, just a quick note on this laundry detergent- if you are the type of boyfriend person who may or may not spill melted butter on a work shirt and not wash said shirt for a few days- this detergent doesn’t get the stain out completely. In a situation like that, the best thing to do is rinse the shirt off immediately and wash ASAP. Just a side note 😉

I personally believe that buying in bulk is best, this way you always have supplies on hand, and when you break it down to how many loads you would get with all of the supplies bought the price is amazing compared to buying regular laundry detergent.

Oh, you want to see the actual numbers? Prepare to be shocked- not only at the savings, but at my amazing math skills (this breakdown is pretty accurate I believe, but I may be a few pennies off, so bear with me, I was an English expert, not a Math expert 😉

Price Breakdown:

• $14.98- Unstoppables- I get about 6 generous sized capfuls per bottle- so I could make this recipe about 6 times with this pack.
• $15.95- OxiClean-this box has 252 loads in the box! I estimated about 28 cups in the box- so this box would make 3 batches of the detergent.
• $3.97 (one box) 20 Mule Team Borax

For one batch the cost would be about $11.79. And the amount of loads you can do with this? 132! This comes down to about $.09 a load! Yes, 9 cents!

And the regular priced competitors price breakdown?

• $20 bottle of Tide- washes about 65 loads= $0.33 per load. Lame!

Which means you could save about $0.24 a load!

Wow, so much math, huh?

 

P.s- Wanna know how to make a cute container for this?Check out the post here!

 

Linking Up With:

A Night Owl Blog,Carrie This Home, Love Grows Wild, Boogie Board Cottage, Coastal Charm, Dwelling In Happiness, The Dedicated House, Confessions of a Plate Addict, A Stroll Thru Life, House on the Way, Tiny Sidekick, The Official Blog Guide, Enjoy the View, Oh My Creative, Just a Girl and Her Blog, Happy Kids Inc, Living Well Spending Less, Someday Crafts, The Blissful Bee, The Kitchen and Beyond, Ruffles and Rainboots, Hymns and Verses, The 36th Avenue, Practically Functional, Domestic Superhero, Coffee With Us 3, Reasons to Skip the Housework, Nifty Thrifty Things, Our Rosey Life, Flamingo Toes,