I've fallen in love with homemade laundry detergent.  Why?  Because it's earth-friendly, cost-effective, easy to make and even easier to use.  With a few minutes and two simple ingredients, you've got yourself a great detergent that is gentle on your clothes, your wallet, and the planet. Still not convinced that homemade is better?  See what Wellness Mama has to say.

I avoided making any liquid laundry soaps because they are too labor intensive and more difficult to store.  I also chose a Borax-free recipe, because this ingredient is so controversial, as Crunchy Betty can tell you.  That, and I try to only use ingredients that I readily have on hand.  I'd rather use baking soda and castile soap than have to buy additional ingredients.  It reduces clutter and keeps things simple for me.

I adapted my recipe from ones by Thank Your Body and Mommypotamus, finding that the fewer the ingredients and the quicker the recipe, the easier it is for me to be eco-friendly.  This recipe makes enough detergent for about 50 loads at roughly 5 cents a load.  Of course, you can always double or triple the recipe to save yourself time and energy.  All in all, after using this on my clothes for six months now, I can never go back to traditional detergent.  

Ingredients:

1 bar Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap (5 ounces)

2 cups washing soda

Using a fine grater, grate the full bar of soap.  Mix with 2 cups washing soda in a bowl until combined.  To use, pour 1 tablespoon in washing machine before adding clothes.  Makes about 3 cups (48 loads of laundry).  Enjoy!