RP from Dec 2011: Homemade Detergents

KimmieS1756

So I posted Saturday (in December 2011) about starting a new adventure of making my own dishwasher and laundry detergents(I will also start making homemade other products as well).I haven't made the laundry detergent yet because I am trying to get rid of the last of our store bought supply first. 

However Saturday I made the dishwasher detergent and so far it is working out very well.  

 

Those of you interested in the recipe I used here it is:

1 Box of Borax

1 Box of Arm & Hammer Super washing Soda

3cups Epsom Salt

24 packets of unsweetened lemonade drink mix

Lemi-Shine OR White Vinegar (if you have hard water or like to use rinse aids in your wash cycles)

& a container to store it in.  

**I went to Wal-Mart for these items and found the Borax and Super Washing Soda in the detergent aisles as well as the Lemi-shine(we have hard water in our town). The Epsom salt was up in the Health & Beauty section by the pharmacy, and I bought the Great Value brand of unsweetened lemonade drink mix which was in the drink mix aisle.

You mix all the ingredients(except for the lemi-shine or white vinegar) together in a big bowl or small bucket(I used a small bucket). Once it is mixed together well you can pour it into whatever container you plan on storing it in. 

Then it is ONLY 1 Tbsp. per load. According to where I got the recipe it can yield nearly 200 loads depending on whether you use  the proper amount.

Price breakdown:(Based on what I paid)

1 box of borax= $3.38

1 box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda=$3.24

 24 Packets of (Great Value Brand) Unsweetened Lemonade drink mix= $2.88

4lb bag of Epsom salt(only use 3cups per batch)=$2.86

Lemi-Shine(because we have hard water in our town)=$3.66

Container to store it in=$5.74 -only a 1 time expense 

 Total spent:$21.76    not including storage container $16.02

(I already had the craft supplies to decorate the container at my house) 

$16.02/200 = ONLY 8 cents per load. That's a huge savings based on what I was spending before. 

Hope this helps people who are interested! I will update with info on the laundry detergent when I have done that as well.