[Dreaming of Being a...] Domestic Goddess

                                            

I'm not sure what exactly caused my little domestic spurt today, or my desire to write a blog post, but maybe it's the start of a new chapter in my life! :)

I realized as I logged into my blog tonight that I haven't published a blog post since the end of 2010! How sad.... I have a few drafts that I started since then, but they never made it to completion. I guess if you are reading this one, it finally made it past the draft stage!

I have really been on a kick lately to rid my house of lots of chemicals, both cleaners and in foods we eat. I haven't gotten rid of them completely, not sure if will ever be able to.... Baby steps, people! I have tried a few of my Pinterest recipes and some of the natural cleaners are -eh- not so great! I have found a way to make natural air fresheners and household cleaners that I really like (maybe I'll blog about that tomorrow)... But today is all about my new favorite laundry detergent!

I have tried 2 or 3 Homemade and chemical laundry detergents and they all left me disappointed. So I recently found a recipe that wasn't entirely "chemical free" but would save me A LOT if money (remember, baby steps)!! So I decided to try it out.

I found the original recipe here: http://www.howdoesshe.com/cheaper-and-better-diy-laundry-detergent/

I followed it pretty closely, but here is exactly what I used to make it:

1 (4 lb 12 oz) Box of Borax
1 (3 lb 7 oz) Box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda

1 (3 lb) Container of OxyClean (powdered detergent - I used the one free and clear of dyes)

4 (5.5 oz) Bars of Fels Naptha soap

1 (4 lb) Box of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda
2 (28 oz) Bottle of Purex Crystals Fabric Softener

The first step was to grate the soap (this was not fun). I got a big bowl from my kitchen, sat down to watch Dr. Phil and started grating! It was done within the hour, so not too bad I guess! I even took a 10 min break in the middle to grab a snack (mainly because my hands were cramping up).

The only thing left was to mix all the ingredients together. I had a big plastic container at the house that I decided to use. I layered it a few different times to make it easier to mix.

Then I used the OxyClean container and scoop to put some of it in so that I don't have to get the huge container down each time I do a load of laundry.

                                           

You only have to use about 2 Tablespoons of detergent for each load. AWESOME! According to the website I got the recipe from, this should last about 1 year (if you do 6 loads of laundry per week)! And I totally believe it! Just look at that massive amount of detergent! And the best part..... It only cost me around...... $30!!!! (I forgot to save my receipt so I don't know the exact amount...oops!) But it could be a lot less if I would have waited and used coupons to purchase those items. But, I have a love-hate relationship with coupons (another blog post for a later time!)

So I did my first load of laundry with the new detergent tonight and.... It's awesome!! Smelled great, felt clean, and was VERY soft! SCORE!!!! :)

Please let me know if you have ever tried to make homemade detergent and how it worked for you! And if you happen to try this one, please let me know what you think!!