HUTCH HINT: DIY Detergent

With a family of six, we have a LOT of laundry. By the time my boys do their laundry, I do mine, B's and Little Miss's, bath towels, kitchen towels, sheets... We easily have 10 to 12 loads a week... And as my oldest said, that's if they don't leave some in the washer and mildew them and have to wash them twice! You can imagine how much laundry detergent we go through.  Fortunately, several years ago I received a recipe for DIY laundry detergent. I have been making it for about 6 years and have found it to be a life saver! It has simple ingredients that you can find at your local grocery store on the laundry detergent aisle. One batch will last me roughly 10 1/2 months and costs about $16.24. So I spend an average of $1.55 on laundry detergent per month, or about $0.03 per load. And it works for all of the people in my family with sensitive skin, including a baby! I don't use fabric softener and all of our clothes are clean and soft.
Here is what you need:
4 pound box Borax
4 pound box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda
4 pound box Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
3 bars Fels-Naptha Soap
1 small box Ultra Purex Stain Fighter(this is optional, unless you have boys, or a baby, or a husband...)

Here's how you do it:
Finely grate the Fels-Naptha soap on a cheese grater. (This is the hardest part of the process and, when you bear in mind that you are only having to do it about once a year, it's no big deal.) Then thoroughly combine all the ingredients in a large container. I use an old slop bucket. You can use anything you have handy as long as it has a lid. You only need about one tablespoon of detergent per load. The scoop from a container of baby formula works perfectly! This detergent does not get "sudsy" but will definitely get the job done! Laundry is one of those chores that has to be done, but it doesn't have to cost you an arm and a leg! Hopefully this will free up some money in your budget for something fun, that will inevitably result in more laundry!

haley for the hutch crew