Clean yourself up.

Sunday is laundry day in my life.  I don't mind it, though, because there is nothing better than starting off the week with clean, fresh sheets!  Well, except maybe for starting off the week with a vacation.  Anydream, I want to celebrate laundry day by sharing a recipe for laundry detergent with you.

Making your own detergent is a great way to greenify a chemical chore, cut back on expensive bottles of detergent and grab your humdrum laundry routine by its delicate parts- with this recipe, you can customize the scent of your laundry!  You can even go unscented, if that's what you're into.  For me?  Personalizing the aroma of my linens is the best part.  Other perks include the ability to make bulk batches (all of the ingredients are affordable and come in monster-sized boxes), personalize the detergent vessels (decoupaged jars, anyone?) and adding mix-ins to optimize your cleansing experience (makes whites whiter!).  Onward!

GF's Ho-made Laundry Detergent

Adapted from Recipe #4 in Tipnut's cheat sheet

You will need:

• 1 bar of soap - any fragrance will do.
• 1/2 cup washing soda - find it at the hardware store
• 1/2 cup Borax - also available at the hardware store, but I found mine at the supermarket
• 1/2 cup baking soda - I invested in a 4lb. box for this purpose!
• 1 large jar - I use a pickle jar 

1. Begin by grating the bar of soap, using a box grater.  It will take a few minutes, but your kitchen will smell heavenly!
2. Dump the soap powder in your jar.
3. Next, pour the remaining ingredients into the jar. 
4. Give it a shake to combine.

That's it!  To use, simply measure out 2 Tbsp. of your detergent for a regular load of laundry.  You may want to keep a scoop right in the jar.  It will make you feel like an adult.

This is a great project for those fancy soaps you can't bring yourself to use.  It's just so sad to see the bars sitting forlornly in the shower, wrapped in hair!

I used a bar that Coworker AAY gave me for Secret Snowflake a couple of years ago.  I love the packaging.

It sure beats "A bright bouquet of city air and train fumes with accord of sweaty gym socks".

Oh grate.

Here we go!

Action shot.

Silly shot.

No, it's not coconut.  And it sure ain't cheese.  Don't even think about it!

After making the initial investment for big boxes of the necessary ingredients, you'll be pleased to find scads of household uses for each!  I always consult my copy of Make Your Place when I need to clean something around the house, and the main ingredient is almost always one of the above powders. 


Other mix-ins for your DIY pleasure:

• a splash of white vinegar to brighten those whites!
• some lavender flowers sewn in a muslin bag makes for a delightful scent in the dryer!
• a squirt of lemon juice to brighten those whites some more!  Or to season your Gin & Tonic.  What?  I told you we were going to lighten up laundry day.