- You will need three ingredients for a homemade-powdered laundry detergent. They are washing soda, a mild bar of soap, such as Ivory or Fels Naptha, and borax. The washing soda and the borax can be found in the laundry detergent aisle of a supermarket. And almost every discount or grocery store carries these old-fashioned products, as well. "Arm and Hammer" is one of the common brands for washing soda and "20 Mule Team" is a common brand of borax. These products will deodorize, clean and brighten your clothes, according to the familyhomestead.com website. If you cannot locate these products in your favorite store, ask for help, and if they do not carry the products, the store clerks will most likely order them for you.
The best way to mix the detergent is to use a heavy-duty food processor. Grate the entire bar of Ivory, or 1/3 of the Fels Naptha bar, and then slowly add ½ cup each of the borax and washing soda. To will keep the mixture from clumping, add the last two dry ingredients while grating. Keep the mixture in a sealed plastic tub, and use one tablespoon for your regular laundry and two tablespoons for heavily-soiled clothing. This detergent will not make suds, but the bubbles do not clean the clothes--the ingredients do.
To make the mix into a liquid laundry detergent, you can grate the soap and place it in a pot on the stove. Add six cups of water and heat until the soap is dissolved, and then add the washing soda and borax. Pour four cups of hot water into a two-gallon bucket and add the heated mixture from the saucepan. Add an additional gallon and six cups of water to the bucket. Stir well and let is sit overnight. The mixture will form into a gel-like substance. Use one-half cup per each load of wash.
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