March Craft Time

I know I'm a little late in posting but I had to wait to get the pictures from my sister.  I hadn't planned on blogging about this because it's not technically a craft BUT since I inspired my sister to switch detergents and helped make it, I figured why not!

We did the math:  they (my sis and BIL) do about 2-3 loads of laundry a week (which equals to roughly 156 loads of laundry a year!)  We calculated that they spend on average between $100-$120 a year on laundry detergent, depending on the brand...which isn't bad but after making this they will walk away with about an $80 yearly savings AND a greener alternative!  You're using MUCH less product and this has no dyes, nothing unnatural (unless you add the crystals and Oxyclean) and you're saving a bunch of moola.  Talk about a great incentive!  I made a batch of this a while back in early Fall of 2012 and I still have a full box to go...mine should last well into this coming fall and I only spent about $17! Since I have sensitive skin this is great for me and it cleans really well.  It is super fast to make, easy to store, smells delicious and will keep your wallet slim.  If you're not convinced now then you should probably quit reading ;)

(I was not given any incentives to endorse any of the products pictured below)

Homemade Laundry Detergent

What You'll Need:
-1 box of Borax
-1 4 lb box of Baking Soda
-1 box of Washing Soda
-2 to 3 bars of Zote or Fels-Naptha soap
-1 large container (or multiple small containers) to store it in
-Cheese grater (large grates) or food processor
-(optional) Oxyclean
-(optional) scent crystals

**Please remember that this is a dry detergent and needs to be stored in a dry location.**

Step-by-Step:
1. Gather all of your ingredients.  It's best to do this where clean up is easy since most of the products are powder.  My sister bought a great tin bucket to put this product in but you can use whatever you want.

2. The longest part is in grating the soap.  I used a cheese grater but you can also use a food processor to get it in tiny pieces.  You can use 1-3 bars per batch.  We used 3 here.

3. You'll start adding the ingredients SLOWLY box by box.  The order doesn't matter because you'll be mixing it all together anyway.

4.  Once all products are combined, stir/mix well.  The soap and crystals often fall to the bottom so make sure you shake/scoop well when you're using it in your loads.  You only have to use about 1 heaping tbsp per load...how AWESOME is that?!  You can use more but the great part is that you don't have to.  The smell is great and it's so quick and easy!

The finished product!

I hope you enjoy this green/money saving "craft" from March.  If you make a batch PLEASE leave me comments to let me know any adjustments you made, good/bad turnouts, etc.