Well, it's cheaper by comparison and fun to make!
I read up on the different recipes out there, and ended up kinda mixing things up here and there. Here's my recipe: (no photos though, I forgot!)
1 cup Borax
1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
1 bar of Fels Naptha laundry soap, can substitute with Ivory or any bar soap you like
A big pail with lid (i used an 18liter pail)
I however would prefer to keep it in a smaller container, and hide this big pail under the sink. So i've added an extra step to this, which is to take out as much as i need to fill a large Ikea glass jar 3/4 full, whip it up in my mixer (also can use the blender for this) and fill the jar with the whipped cream like substance. Add a nice label and i'm done!
If you want to know the technicalities of how much it will save me per year, it continues after the jump.
I read up on the different recipes out there, and ended up kinda mixing things up here and there. Here's my recipe: (no photos though, I forgot!)
1 cup Borax
1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
1 bar of Fels Naptha laundry soap, can substitute with Ivory or any bar soap you like
A big pail with lid (i used an 18liter pail)
- Bring 6 cups of water to a boil, then turn down the heat to a bare simmer.
- Add in the grated soap bit by bit, stir til no more soap particles left. Make sure its not too hot or it will bubble over the pot sides.
- When all is melted, turn off the heat. Add in the Borax and washing soda. Stir til smooth (no more gritty crystals).
- Fill the pail slightly more than halfway full of the hottest tap water (cos i'm making 3 gallons = 11 liters). I did this in the bathroom, using the water heater at almost maximum.
- Pour the soap mixture into the water, stir well.
- I'm not a fan of the smell this detergent gives, so i added about 15 drops of essential oil (bergamot) per gallon.
- Let it sit for 8 hours or overnight.
- After that it would have set into a jelly like consistency, so just stir again to whip it up into a nice liquid.
I however would prefer to keep it in a smaller container, and hide this big pail under the sink. So i've added an extra step to this, which is to take out as much as i need to fill a large Ikea glass jar 3/4 full, whip it up in my mixer (also can use the blender for this) and fill the jar with the whipped cream like substance. Add a nice label and i'm done!
If you want to know the technicalities of how much it will save me per year, it continues after the jump.
