doing laundry

I have a lot of laundry to do on a regular basis. A husband that works with chainsaws and trees all day, an adventurous 12 year old boy, 2 toddlers who think mud is their good friend and a baby that eats a lot (we all know what that means.) Not to mention my clothes, towels, sheets on 4 beds, 1 cradle, etc. Since we sleep on these things, wear these things and just generally have them in contact with our skin I want to know that what I'm washing them in is as chemical free as possible. Do you know that a bottle of laundry detergent purchased say, from Wal-Mart, doesn't even have a list of ingredients on it? Kinda scary.
So a while ago I decided to make our own laundry detergent. I researched it (because that's what I do) and found a bunch of different recipes. Some were liquid and others were powder. I decided to go with a powder. I spend enough time cooking things, I don't need to be "cooking" laundry soap too.

This soap goes together super fast, especially with the help of your 12 year old. (Wyatt makes it as one of his chores around the homestead.) Plus, it works great.
Recipe:
1 bar, grated, Fels Naptha Soap or a bar of homemade soap (I like homemade soap the best since you know what's in it)
1 cup of Borax powder
1 cup of Arm and Hammer Washing Soda (not baking soda)

Grate the bar of soap with your cheese grater (homemade soap grates up super quick since it's softer than the Fels Naptha)
Mix grated soap and powders in an airtight container.
Use 2 TB per load.
I keep a table spoon in my soap so that it's easy to spoon into the washer.

Under the "Recipes" tab on my blog you can find this recipe along with other useful household recipes. After all, recipes aren't just for food!