I've had it! I will not be held hostage...

That's right...uh huh...you heard me!  I am sick and tired of being held hostage by the EXORBITANT and continually rising costs of laundry soap!  WHY does it keep going up?!?  So...what am I gonna do about it, you may ask?  Well, today, I DID it!  Inspired by my little neicey-in-law, I made my own.  Now hold on, before you start thinking I have gone off the deep end...I did my research thoroughly online before beginning.  Do you actually know what is in laundry soap (or what is supposed to be in laundry soap)?  Well, as it turns out, only FIVE ingredients for the purest, most economical, sweetest smelling laundry soap in the world!  And it only cost 2.5 CENTS PER LOAD!!!  My recipe made enough to last over a year for $16.08 with tax.  And the ingredients are available at your local grocery store (I went to Walmart for added savings).  It only took me about 1 hour to make it up and the hardest part was grating the Zote Soap.  Everything else was just mixing the ingredients together.  I was a little reticent that this could clean up to my standards (which are pretty high) even though all the blogs I read online said it would.  So...I did 3 loads and, OH MY WORD!  Did they ever get nice and clean and smelling fresh...with using only 1 tablespoon of the soap...you heard me...ONE TABLESPOON per extra large load!  I am in frugal heaven!  One thing I really liked was that during the wash cycle, I felt the water and it was nice and slippery, soapy although with very little suds.  Then the biggest surprise was during the rinse cycle - the water was clear!  I've always been one to use the "2nd rinse" cycle as I want to make sure the clothes are nice and free of soap residue.  No more 2nd rinses for me!  I know you're dying to know what the recipe is, aren't you?!  Here it is:

Homemade Laundry Soap

 

1, 4 lb 12 oz box Borax, (2.15 kg or 76 oz) found in the laundry aisle at Walmart

 

1, 4 lb box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda, (1.81 kg) found in the cooking aisle at Walmart

 

1  box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda, 55 oz (3 lb 7 oz) found in the laundry aisle at Walmart

 

1 -  Multi-purpose Oxygen Cleaner, 56 oz (3.5 lb) (Home Sense Kroger brand) found in the detergent isle at Kroger OR 2 small containers of Oxy Clean or store brand Oxy Clean

Makes approximately 2.5 gallons (640 Tablespoons).  So mix in a container big enough to stir well.

**Use 1 Teaspoon-1 Tablespoons per load. I know that does not seem like enough but this recipe does not have fillers like the store bought detergent so you only need that small amount.  I have found the following does well:

 
1 Teaspoon for small, 2 Teaspoons for medium and 1 Tablespoon for large loads

This detergent is fairly mild smelling, it is not over powering. If you love a strong scent you may have to add  laundry crystals to each load. You can find laundry crystals in the detergent isle.  

 

$2.48 = Arm & Hammer Baking Soda

$3.24 = Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda

$3.99 = Kroger Multi-purpose Oxygen Cleaner

$3.38 = Borax
$13.09
    1.05 tax
$14.14 = 640 Tablespoons = 2.5 cents per load!

 

I'M FREE! FREE AT LAST!