Frugal Woman

I stumbled upon a homemade laundry detergent recipe last summer (not really stumbled, friends passed it along) that has revamped my cleaning budget. I first was convicted with the realization that indoor air pollution is the Asbestos of tomorrow, thanks to the New York Times best selling book: The Healthy Home by Dr. Myron Wentz and his son Dave Wentz. The book opened my eyes to the fact that while much of the world is concend with going green for the environment, we as wives and Moms need to be more concerned with "greening" our homes. We spend so much time in our homes, and it can be a dangerous place to be thanks to chemicals, preservatives, and other silent and hidden monsters. The book takes you on a journey through your home, and each chapter begins with a quiz to determine how green you are in certain rooms. I absolutely FAILED the laundry room with a capital F! This got me thinking that possibly I can cut not only the chemicals to better my score in this particular area, but I can also slash dollars out of the budget as I spend so much on these damaging laundry items. The soap I found is the same one that Michelle Duggar uses, so you can find it at her website, but I have decided to post it in my blog as well. I know other moms who personally use it and love it (at least 6 others) and I have been using for one year to the day. If you decide to give it a shot, please message me, and let me know how you like it. I'll try to add all my tips to this post to  help you get the most out of your detergent.

For the recipe you will need:

• 1 five gallon bucket with lid
• 1 bar of Kirk's Castile Coconut Oil Soap (Other soaps that are reccommended are Fels-Naptha or any bar you prefer - especially castile.) I like the Kirk's because I know it is more natural.
• 1 cup of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
• 1/2 cup Borax (optional) - I reccommend using it. I've done both
• 4 1/2 gallons of hot water

It was fun to make this fabulous soap because I was able to get my two toddlers involved. They had a blast helping me make it, and I was able to explain to them why we were doing it. Especially with my daughter, as I teach her about our noble calling as keepers of the home, and stewards of our home, it was a fun experience.

You'll want to rinse out an old laundry detergent container to use once your have your 5 gallons prepared. That way you can conveniently have some to use in your laundry room and you can store your 5 gallons in the garage or somewhere out of the way.

Here's my two-year-old, Malachi with our supplies

Begin with a cheese grater to grate your bar of soap into a saucepan, and cover it with 4 cups of water. You boil it down until the soap is completely dissolved.

4 and 2 year old, grating soap

Boiling the soap

After the soap is completely dissolved, pour it into the five gallon bucket. Add 4 and a half gallons of hot water, the 1 cup of washing soda and the half cup of Borax. Stir until dissolved. Here is a cute picture of my kiddos, standing in the bathtub mixing our big 5 gallon batch!

That's it. I have a friend who dillutes it with another 5 gallons of water to make 10 gallons, and she says it works great. I have not tried that. You can use this detergent as soon as it's made, but it will gel and get thicker as it sets. You'll need to shake your detergent container after you fill it up. hen I'm doing laundry, I shake the container initially and then I feel like the detergent is mixed well for all the loads I'm doing. Sometimes the soap is chunky, and sometimes there are little "floaties" of soap flecks in it. This detergent is "HE" compatible as there is very little suds. I use the same amount I would with another detergent for a load, but I have read on other blogs that you can use less. Just do what you feel comfortable doing. Also, one last tip: I still use oxyclean or some kind of booster with whites as I feel that even though this detergent gets everything clean (even kid's stained clothes) it will leave whites looking dingy. Another way to cut the chemicals is to throw 1/2 cup of white vinegar in with your clothes instead of bleach. It also works as a softener. Finally, remember that it will not have a fragrance, after all the smell of clean is no smell at all. Have you ever stood by a mountain spring? It doesn't smell like your store-bought laundry detergent:) I hope this helps you rise to your noble calling as you find it saves you money and cuts corners in the "greening" of your home. Hope everyone had a safe and happy Independence Day! God Bless, Andrea