Going Green: Inexpensive, Good Homemade Laundry Detergent

I'm a green freak. Yep. I try everything in my power to limit the amount of waste our family creates and I'm so proud that they are all on board with me. I'm that person who has more recycle than garbage...I even bring home my school's plastic..about four bins a week. But hey, my students see the example, and isn't that what it's about?  ;)

Anyway, I have to keep detergent in mind for my family because one of us has sensitive skin that doesn't like fragrance and three of us have mild eczema that gets worse when irritated by detergent. I dabbled with store bought natural detergents before and found one a Sam's that I LOVED. Inexpensive, coconut oil based, and awesome. But, we no longer have a membership because it's too dang far to be economical. I used Arm & Hammer for a very long time until I found an economical and easy recipe for homemade detergent on this blog. I decided to give it a shot. The blog even gives you the financial breakdown!

 

The laundry detergent itself is awesome. You use very little (I use two heaping spoons, depending the level of soiled clothing). The softener is so-so. The baking soda settles to the bottom so quickly that when it came time for it to spin out of the cup during the drain, the baking soda would stay. I have just used vinegar in the past with good results, so I just stuck with that. I use vinegar all over the house, so I just buy the super huge bottle...  Just be careful if you touch it to your hands...the Borax dries the skin out very quickly.  Good luck!!