{"id":12075,"date":"2020-07-16T17:15:13","date_gmt":"2020-07-17T00:15:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nebulous-oyster.flywheelsites.com\/?p=12075"},"modified":"2023-03-05T19:15:36","modified_gmt":"2023-03-06T03:15:36","slug":"diy-laundry-detergent-a-penny-a-load","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jennifermargulis.net\/diy-laundry-detergent-a-penny-a-load\/","title":{"rendered":"DIY Laundry Detergent: A Penny A Load"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"DIY

DIY laundry detergent costs a penny a load. Photo courtesy of Pixabay.<\/p><\/div>\n

Laundry detergent is expensive, but DIY laundry detergent costs less than $2 for a 5-gallon batch that can last a family of six for two months.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you buy conventional detergent, you\u2019re paying at least $17 for only 1 gallon. This means you save $50 per gallon of DIY detergent!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The good news is it works awesome, smells great, and is so much more gentle on your clothes and the Earth. The other good news is when you care about the environment and your bottom line, you win on both with DIY laundry detergent. And it\u2019s quick and easy to make even if you\u2019re not a DIY kind of person.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Making your own DIY laundry detergent<\/strong><\/h2>\n

We\u2019ve been <\/span>making our own DIY laundry detergent<\/span><\/a> for ten years now. In that time we\u2019ve saved thousands of dollars, spared over 100 plastic containers from going into the landfill, and <\/span>helped the fish<\/span><\/a> by not polluting the waterways with <\/span>toxic chemicals<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Okay, I lied.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We<\/span><\/i> haven\u2019t been making DIY laundry detergent. My husband<\/em> has been making it. His original recipe can be <\/span>found here<\/span><\/a>. But since he published it, he\u2019s been perfecting the art over all these years. <\/span><\/p>\n

So, without further ado, here\u2019s my DH\u2019s DIY laundry detergent recipe in his own words, a recipe that anyone can make.<\/span><\/p>\n

DIY Laundry Detergent: A Penny a Load
\nby James di Properzio<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I like DIY things<\/h4>\n

I like Do-It-Yourself things…as long as they\u2019re easy.\u00a0 When we bought our first house, I fixed things using the only tools I had: those on my <\/span>Swiss Army knife<\/span><\/a>. Once I realized some things can be fixed faster than calling in a repairman\u2014and that you can’t do anything without Vise-Grips<\/span>\u2014<\/span>I felt more in control of my world.<\/span><\/p>\n

I hate running out of laundry detergent. With four kids who all <\/span>wore cloth diapers<\/span><\/a>, we were sometimes doing a couple loads of laundry a day. Making our own laundry detergent not only brought the cost of detergent down to about a penny a load, but it meant I could make 3 gallons at a time. When we run out I whip up another 3 gallons in just a few minutes<\/span>\u2014<\/span>less time than it would take to <\/span>drive to the store<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Want to pay $1.39, or $52?<\/h3>\n

The washing soda, borax, and liquid soap I use cost $1.39 for 3 gallons of detergent, which does 100 loads of laundry. By comparison, the most popular brand of detergent in the store costs $52 for 3 gallons. Load per load, that\u2019s $.17 for the brand-name detergent, and just over a penny for my recipe.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ingredients for DIY laundry detergent<\/h3>\n