Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent

By attempting to implement a newly-created budget I've found that once a week fast food, more than one coke per-day, and weekly visits to the thrift store are sadly, things of the past. One of my most recent discoveries ended up becoming our biggest budget buster. With five people in the family and frequent trips to the gym, sweaty, dirty, smelly clothes haunt me daily. Taking dreams of dirty clothes chasing me in my sleep, no longer is a game of tag, but rather a nightmare as I see the climbing prices of detergent. I never seem to find good deals. Even the cheapest, bargain sized detergent at the Family Dollar Store is $10.00. And with my kiddos sensitive skin, I still have to purchase a large gallon of Dreft to wash their clothes in; add another $15.00. $25.00 later and it's GONE within a week. So I sought out pinterest, blogs, and some tips from great friends for a solution.

Here is the recipe for a Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent -
TESTED AND APPROVED by the Marini Family

You will need:
■Borax ($2.99 at Walmart or Target–in the laundry aisle)
■Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (NOT Baking Soda–$2.99 at local grocery store in laundry aisle)
■Fels-Naptha Soap Bar ($1.56 at Walmart-in laundry aisle)
■5-gallon bucket with lid (around $4 at Home Depot)
■10 gallon milk jugs (or other containers) that have been cleaned and rinsed (the concentrate will disperse more evenly if you go ahead and divide it up.
■OPTIONAL: Essential Oil Drops for fragrance (we did not add this, but you can find them with the candles. A small bottle is $2.00)

Grand Total: $11.54 for 640 loads (180 loads in a top-loading machine). That’s a little more than 1 cent a load! And the savings are even greater the next time you make this because the only thing you’ll have to buy is the Fels-Naptha soap bar!

STEP ONE: With a cheese grater, grate the ENTIRE BAR of Fels-Naptha soap. (I actually loved the way it smelt. For some reason it reminded me of my dad's bar of soap; he always used "Dial".)STEP TWO: Put in pot with 4 cups of hot water. Stir continuously over medium-low heat until all of the soap flakes have dissolved and melted (approximately 10-15 minutes). (It should be slightly foamy with no chunks or flakes to be found.)
STEP THREE: Fill a 5-gallon bucket half-full of hot water.STEP FOUR: Pour in the soap mixture. Add 1 cup of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda... 1/2 cup of Borax, and STIR. To reach the bottom of my five gallon bucket (since I didn't have a spoon that was big enough) I used the end of my broom.

STEP FIVE: Fill the rest of your 5-gallon bucket with water, and STIR.

SEP SIX: Cover the detergent with the lid that came with your 5-gallon bucket and let it sit over night. It should have gelled and thickened slightly.
STEP SEVEN: STIR AGAIN.
STEP EIGHT: Use a funnel to fill a clean laundry detergent container (or gallon-size milk jug) and fill it HALF way with the soap mixture. Fill the other half with water and shake.

Once you’re ready to use the laundry soap, shake it in the container first. Then add:
-5/8 cups for a regular top-loading machine
-1/4 cup for a front-loading (HE) machine

This took us probably around a combined total of only 45-minutes to make!
I just saved our family at least $100's after making TEN gallons of laundry detergent.