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DIY laundry detergent – how 15 minutes can save you up to 70 cents per load

By Amy Patterson

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Washing a typical load of laundry costs between 25 and 75 cents. Depending on the size of your family, that can get pretty pricey. But, what if I told you, you could do it for only a nickel per load? In addition to only costing a nickel, this method also helps reduce your family’s chemical exposure, and takes less than 15 minutes. Interested?

Here’s what you will need:

Super washing soda – this is in the baking soda aisle and is made by Arm ’n Hammer

Borax – this is in the laundry detergent aisle and is made by 20 Mule Team

A bar of soap – it can be any kind of soap, a recommended natural option is Fel’s Naptha Soap which is only 97 cents per bar (you can find this at nearly any store)

Baking soda – this is an optional ingredient, but it tends to help with the freshness of your clothing and helps especially with more soiled items

First, you will need to finely shred your bar of soap. If you have an old food processor lying around, this is easy – just make sure you use a cheese-shredding blade, or the like. You can also use a cheese grader and do this by hand – it only takes about 15 minutes.

Take the entire graded bar of soap and add 1 cup of each other ingredient into a large container (preferably one that you can seal afterward), then mix the ingredients. That’s it! And the best part is, unlike traditional detergent, a regular size load of laundry only requires 2 tbsp. of this mixture. 

Tags: DIY, Green Living, Home, Money