Look what I can do!!!

So, as most of you know, I am completely obsessed with the Duggar family. I think it's because I have always dreamed about having WAY too many kids but I now see that it probably won't happen. I think three or four will be it for us. Anyways, I once saw an episode where they made their own laundry soap. I was so intruiged but too scared to try it out myself eventhough they made it seem sooooo easy. 

Well my friend Marie did try it and said it was super easy and also was comparable to All Free and Clear. Now I had no excuse! I mean if another stay at home mom could do it then I could too right? If you would like to see Maries post about making laundry soap check it out since it probably way better than my post: Marie's Laundry Soap Story

So the first thing Dan and I did was save all of our milk jugs. Fun fact about our family: We drink WAY too much milk. We had about ten gallon jugs saved in just a little over a week. So then it was my job to grab all the stuff you need to make the detergent.

• Borax - $2.50
• Arm and Hammer Washing Soda - FREE!
• Fels-naptha bar - FREE!
• Funnel - $.99
• 5 gallon bucket - $2.50
• Optional: Fragrance Oil - $0.00

Now I could have written this blog post a while ago but I was having a hard time finding the Fels-naptha bar and Arm and Hammer washing soda. I know I saw it in Giant Eagle and Marcs so the conspiracy theorist in me came out and I concluded they no longer sell these in stores because so many people are buying the ingredients to make their own detergent. You lose stupid supermarkets!!! Luckily I was able to buy the ingredients off amazon and I was able to use my swagbucks so they were free!! 

If you would like to check out swagbucks, basically a program where you get paid to search, go here: CHECK IT OUT!

So my out of pocket total was $5.99. Still cheaper than most detergents out there on the market. Especially those without fragrance or dyes. So lets get onto how you make this stuff shall we?

1. Take the Fels-naptha bar and grate the whole thing. Dan and I both shared this task and it takes a little elbow grease. 

2. Put the grated soap into a pot with 4 cups of hot water. Stir continuously until there are no clumps.

3. Fill your 5 gallon bucket with hot water

4. Pour the soap mixture into the 5 gallon bucket

5.  Add 1 cup of Arm and Hammer washing soda and 1/2 cup of Borax

6. Stir! 

7. Fill the rest of the bucket with water and stir again 

8.Cover and let sit overnight. If you are a procrastinator with a husband who works insane shifts...make that 3 nights. oops.

After letting it sit it will congeal slightly so stir really well. Then take a gallon jug, empty laundry detergent bottle, etc, and fill it HALF way with the soap mixture. Fill the other half with water and shake well.

When you are ready to use your detergent, shake well and add the following to a load of laundry:

-5/8 cups for a regular top-loading machine
-1/4 cup for a front-loading (HE) machine

So now I have all this fragrance and dye free laundry soap which will come in very handy for the new little addition arriving in a few weeks who may have sensitive skin. Way more cost efficient than Dreft, which by the way is the most fragrant detergent to me. Are they all smoking the wacky tobaccy when they claim it is fragrance free??? So we paid about six dollars for roughly seven and a half gallons of laundry detergent. It took us about an hour total, making the stuff and then dividing it into the gallon jugs. NOT BAD!! It will be even cheaper next time since all I will have to get is the Fels-naptha bar.

I have done a few loads of laundry and have noticed no difference except the lack of fragrance. I know this is better for me and my family but I do LOVE my laundry smelling like chemicals so I may do the fragrance oils next time.