Homemade HE Dry Laundry Detergent

About a year ago I was going to attempt to make my own homemade detergent to save money on the expensive HE detergent we were buying. The recipe was from My Li'l Pumpkin Patch. However, at the time I didn't have a lidded pail to mix it in and it looked intimidating to me. So even though I purchased all the items in the recipe, the idea was scrapped. Until recently.

I found a new and improved recipe from Coupon Closet. Well, I don't really know if it is improved or not, just different as it is a dry homemade recipe. Something that I could handle. And I really liked the idea of only spending $20.00 a year on laundry detergent. So, I decided to take on the challenge!

Because I had already purchased the Borax, Super Washing Soda and one Fels-Naptha bar a year ago for the first recipe, I had used a small portion of them already. Not much, but some. I also had a large box of partially used Arm & Hammer baking soda on hand. Since I also had a smaller box on hand for baking, I would use the big box and purchase another box later when I needed a fresh one.

So really, all I had to purchase this time around was two more bars of Fels-Naptha, the Purex Crystals, and some Oxi-Clean.

Using 6% sales tax:
Fels-Naptha bars costs $1.03 with tax x 2 = $2.06.
Oxi-Clean Versatile Stain Remover, 3 lb., cost $8.01 with tax.
Purex Crystals, 18 oz., cost $3.15 with tax. I chose the Coconut Waters fragrance.

So for the sake of a total dollar figure I checked online prices at Walmart and here is what I found:
Arm & Hammer, 4 lb., cost $2.37 with tax.
Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda, 3 lb. 7 oz., cost $4.21 with tax.
Borax Laundry Booster, 4 lb. 12 oz., cost $4.21 with tax.
A third Fels-Naptha bar would cost another $1.03 with tax.

Add it all up for a grand total of $25.04.

Considering we usually pick up at least two bottles of the liquid detergent every week at $3.00 a piece, this will be a considerable savings if it even lasts a half a year. We wash a lot of clothes in this household!

So to get started, I pulled out my brand spanking new red Runnings pail, a gift from my lovely employer.

First I poured all the boxes into the pail. Next, I grated the soap bars. I found the older bar was drier than the newly purchased bars, so it was more fine. At first I wasn't sure what to think about that but I figured that it would dissolve easier in the washer that way. For future batches, I may buy the soap bars several months in advance to get the same effect. (The yellow chunks in the mixture are from the newer moister bars. The drier bar blended in nicely.)

After everything was in the pail, I mixed it with as big a spoon as I could find. My husband even put the lid on the pail and tried to shake it up but it was rather clumsy.

I had enough detergent to fill these three jars and put the remainder back into the Oxi-Clean container with the lid.

I used a scoop from an old protein powder container for measuring, as it was the perfect size. Now I'm all set! (Note: The blue scoop in the photo was from the Oxi-Clean.)

Results:

I have used this detergent for several loads now and here are the results. The first time it seemed like the soap clumped up in the washing machine's detergent compartment and didn't want to drain into the washer. I broke it up and placed it in with the clothes.

The next several times the detergent seemed to work fine. I am not sure why it clumped up the way it did the first time. Other than that, I like the way the clothes have been coming out. Nice and clean! My husband farms and his clothes are dirty so getting them clean was my biggest concern. Checking the clothes after using this detergent, I am very satisfied. I will definitely make this again.

Homemade HE Dry Laundry Detergent

3 Fels-Naptha bars

20 Mule Team Borax, 4 lb. 12 oz.

Oxi-Clean Versatile Stain Remover, 3 lb.

Purex Crystals, 28 oz.

Arm & Hammer Pure Baking Soda, 4 lb.

Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda, 55 oz.

Grate the soap bars with a cheese grater. Mix all ingredients in a large pail. Put in an airtight container for storing.

For Use: 1-2 T. per laundry load.

Update:

I just used the last of this detergent and it's been over three months. I wanted to share a few considerations.

1. My husband's work clothes are truly greasy and grimy.
2. My daughter uses one scoop (1 scoop = 2 tablespoons) when washing her clothes; I tend to use a heaping scoop or more, depending on the amount and how dirty the clothes are or whether they are cleaning rags and towels; and my husband uses three scoops for his work clothes.
3. All three of us love the results of this detergent and have clean and fresh smelling clothes.
4. We've figured out that the best way to add the detergent is dusting it onto the top of the clothes.
5. We wash, on average, ten loads of laundry per week.

So, technically, if we only used one tablespoon per load, this detergent really would have lasted us a year. However, realistically, one size does not fit all, and the amount used would be factored by how dirty the clothing and how many items per load. How long it would last would also be determined on how many loads per week washed. That being said, we are totally satisfied with the results and I have replenished our supply.

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