14 Months Worth of Detergent

Last January (as in January 2013), I made a batch of very awesome homemade laundry detergent. This weekend I scooped the last of it out of the bucket and into the container I pour it from when doing laundry. I’ve got 2 or 3 weeks worth left.

I spent 25 or 30 bucks to make the detergent. 8 people used it for about 5 months and then the 6 of us have used it ever since. We left some behind when we moved and my parents used it for a few months after we left. End result: just over 14 months to use up the whole batch.

So now I’ve got the ingredients (except the fabric softener – it’s not necessary and Jamie requested that I leave it out this time) on my shopping list. This time I’m going to keep track of exactly how much it costs to make it.

1 box (4 lb 12 oz) Borax
1 box (3 lb 7 oz) Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
1 3 lb container OxyClean
1 4 lb box Arm & Hamer Baking Soda
4 bars Fels Naptha
1 55 oz bottle Purex Crystals Fabric Softener

Grate the Fels Naptha. Mix everything together. Use about 2 Tablespoons per load.