Homemade Laundry Detergent

We started experimenting with making our own laundry detergent about a year ago to try to cut costs with the large amount of laundry we go through on a weekly basis. This recipe has worked the best for us and it lasts FOREVER! I made this batch almost 6 months ago and the photo below was taken earlier today....Granted, our "large" amount of laundry is 2-4 loads a week, but still...it adds up!

Ingredients

One 55 oz box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda

One 4 lb box of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda

One 76 oz box of Borax

Two 400g bars of Zote Soap

2.5 – 3 lbs of OxiClean (or any generic oxygen cleaner)

This makes 2 gallons of powder detergent, so don't forget to have a container handy to store it all in!

For mixing up the detergent I recommend picking up a 5 gallon bucket with a screw top lid.

Designate this your “Detergent Making Bucket” and keep it clean! I don't use my detergent supplies for anything other than making detergent.

You’ll also need a food processor and a large bowl to hold some of the ingredients.

Directions

1. Set aside the Zote Soap and the baking soda
2. Pour the remaining ingredients (Super Washing Soda, Borax, and OxiClean) into the bucket
3. Cut the Zote Soap in half lengthwise so that it will fit through the feed tube of your food processor.

4. Using the shredding disc on your food processor, grate the Zote Soap and transfer the grated soap to a large bowl

5. Change out the shredding blade in your food processor and put in the regular blade. Working in batches, place a small amount of the shredded soap into the processor along with the baking soda. Depending on the size of your processor the amounts may vary...I use roughly a 30/70 mix ratio (30% shredded soap, 70% baking soda)

6. Pulse the soap and baking soda until it forms a powder. The purpose of incorporating the baking soda in this step is to help prevent the Zote Soap from clumping. The baking soda should coat the soap so that it doesn’t stick to itself. If the mixture still looks a bit clumpy just add more baking soda until it looks like a powder. 

7. As you process the Zote Soap and baking soda just add each batch to the bucket with the rest of the ingredients.

8. Put the lid on the 5 gallon bucket and shake until everything is mixed well!

9. Once the ingredients are all mixed, you are ready to transfer it to your detergent container.