35. Learn to make my own laundry detergent.

Many months ago - I came across an article about homemade laundry detergent.  In my attempts to become more "green" and reap the financial savings the article described, I began collecting the supplies to make my own.


After foraging around New York City for the supplies and finding the easiest way to make said laundry detergent - I was ready. 


I decided to make the "powder" version of the detergent for the simple fact we have very limited storage space in our apartment.  The "liquid" version often requires a large container (like 5 gallon large.) Anyway, thus begins the challenge of:

Store Bought vs. Homemade Laundry Detergent

Homemade Laundry Detergent:

1/2 cup Borax

1/2 cup Washing Soda

1 bar of soap

10 fantastic minutes of your time

First, I cut up the soap into big chunks.  Then I put the chunks in a food processor to grind them into fine bits.

After grinding the soap down,  I added the borax and washing soda and processed a bit more to make sure everything was dispersed evenly.

This my friends, is ready to use detergent.

I put the mixture in a tupperware container for airtight storage.  Each batch makes enough for 32 loads of laundry.  Use 1 tablespoon per load.

So, how much is this really saving me?


I did some simple math and came up with the following:


Store Bought Detergent  = Purex Natural Elements $12.88 150oz (96 loads) = 0.134 or 13 cents a load


Homemade = $2.99 Washing Soda, $3.99 Borax, $2.99 Dove Unscented Soap


$2.99/55oz = 0.054 or 5.4 cents an ounce
$3.99/76oz = 0.053 or 5.3 cents an ounce


Multiply by 8oz (the amount in a 1/2 cup)


0.054x8oz = 0.43 or 43 cents per batch
0.053x8oz= 0.42 or 42 cents per batch


$2.99/2 bar of soap = $1.50 for a bar of soap


Then we simply add everything up.


0.43+0.42+$1.50 = $2.35 per batch


Each batch makes enough for 32 loads. (1 tablespoon of the mixture per load)


$2.35 for a batch/32 loads= 0.073 or 7 cents a load


Making my own saves me half of what I spend on store bought detergent. (13 vs. 7 cents.)  Now, I know we are talking about cents here, but when placed in a larger context, the difference starts to make more sense. (no pun intended ;)


If I run my washer 15 times a month, it costs me $1.95 in store bought detergent per month, or $23.40 a year.

When I replace store bought with home laundry detergent in the above - it would cost me $1.05 in detergent per month, or $12.60 a year.


Thus saving me money and harmful gross chemicals touching my skin.  Sweet. 


Also, who really wants to spend money on stupid domestic things like toothpaste, toilet paper, and today's arch nemesis: laundry detergent. Not this girl, for sure.


Oh, I almost forgot - I had to do a test run.  What better way to test out how well Julia's Made-with-love detergent works than washing some towels.

At the end of the cycle, I could tell no difference in the two detergents.  Both left the towels clean smelling and eagerly awaiting the dryer. Score.