DIY Laundry Detergent

This laundry detergent is easy to make AND lasts a very long time! Here's what you need: a large pot (used only for making detergents from now on), Large wooden spoon (only for detergents), Arm and Hammer Washing Soda, 20 Mule Team Borax, and Fels Naptha (it's a bar soap in the laundry detergent isle. You can find the washing soda and Borax in the laundry isle as well!). And lastly a container to store your detergent. I use a medium sized Tupperware container. This recipe makes 2 gallons, so make sure it is large enough! You could use a 5 gallon bucket (ask your local bakery or bakery department at the grocery store. They give them away, because they do not reuse them.)
These ingredients are NOT expensive to purchase, and they last you a LONG time! We bought our ingredients back in the winter (January?) and we still have PLENTY left. In fact, the only thing we will need to replace, maybe in a couple months, is the Fels Naptha which only cost us .99 cents!! Here's the recipe -
1/3 bar Fels Naptha , 1/2 cup washing soda , 1/2 cup borax , water.
Grate 1/3 of your Fels Naptha bar into your large pot and add 6 cups cold water. Bring to a boil, and boil for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and immediately add the washing soda and borax. Stir until everything is dissolved. You're going to add enough cold water to this mixture to make 2 gallons. We add some water to our container first, then add the hot detergent mixture, and the remaining cold water (to keep our container from warping from the heat).
The mixture will be VERY watery. You have to let it sit 24 hours before using it. The next day it will be a gel on top and liquid underneath. I usually give it a good stir to mix it all up.
You want to use 1 cup of laundry detergent for large loads (sometimes I add a little more for good measure). This detergent works great and is SO cost effective! Happy Washing!