Oklahoma mom-blogger Carrie of The Coupon Closet blog has come up with a DIY laundry detergent that's effective, clean-smelling and, best of all, super affordable.
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Carrie explains on her blog how many different ways she went about testing the detergent herself, and lists the exact steps and ingredients you need to take to make it yourself.
It takes about 30-45 minutes to whip up a batch of this soap, and you end up with enough detergent to last almost a year.
The best thing about Carrie's recipe is that it uses stain remover, and because it doesn't suds up too much, it works very well in high efficiency (HE) washers.
The ingredient list may sound a little intimidating if you're unused to making your own detergent, but all the ingredients can usually be found on the laundry aisle at your grocery store or on Amazon.
The recipe calls for the standard laundry detergent ingredients like borax and baking soda, but it also uses three bars of laundry soap, which must be grated with a cheese grater (see image below, that's not cheese!). This step is the most time-consuming step.
Image via Shirley Morgan
We learned of this recipe from Wide Open Country reader Shirley Morgan of Burnet, Texas. We asked Shirley about her experiences making this detergent, and she said, "I use the gain scent crystals because I like the smell more and the container has more!"
Morgan stated that the ingredients cost her around $30 and said of the efficacy of the detergent, "I turn on the second rinse on my washer, but we have hard water so that may be the issue. Other than that it works great in our HE machine! This will last at least 9-10 months, and I wash a lot of clothes."
Overall, Carrie surmises that if you purchase a 102 load box of Tide at about $18 per box, it should last you about 10 weeks (depending on how much laundry you do), which adds up to over $90 in laundry detergent. If you want to cut your grocery bill and give this recipe a try, find the complete instructions and ingredients list on The Coupon Closet blog.
