Easy & Effective Laundry Detergent

Making your own laundry detergent doesn't mean sacrificing cleanliness or risking color fading. What it does mean is saving an incredible amount of money, not washing your clothes with toxins and not using toxins in the water that eventually makes it back into our water systems. The ingredients for this make-it-yourself natural laundry detergent are easy to find and inexpensive, and a little of this detergent goes a long way.

What you need: a 2 gallon clean container | 2 gallons hot distilled water, plus a little more | 2 cups baking soda | 1 grated Dr. Bronner's Magic Organic Castile Soap Bar, in your scent choice (available at most health food stores and Target)

How you make it:
1) In a large saucepan, cover the grated soap with just enough hot water to cover it and cook on medium-low heat. Stir frequently until the soap is completely melted.
2) In a large pail, pour 2 gallons of hot distilled water and add to it the melted soap. Stir well.
3) Add the baking soda and stir well once more to mix it all.
4) Pour it into your preferred 2 gallon container, I use the "in the door" slim water kind that you can get at Walmart for about $6. The baking soda in the mixture won't dissolve and when resting will separate from the soap mixture, this is normal.

How to use it:
1) Shake to mix.
2) For a full regular load use 1/2 cup of the laundry soap, for a very dirty or extra large load use 1 cup.