So Why Make Your Own Detergent?

Saves Space

As you can see from the picture below, the two jars replacing detergent, fabric softener and dryer sheets saves you TONS of space in your storage. I don’t know about you but anytime I have an opportunity to make more space in my storage, I take it.

Saves Money

The two jars will do around 130 extra-large loads of laundry at a cost of around $2.00. That puts the homemade detergent at about $0.015 per load. The other items I got from Costco at approximately $10 a piece. That’s $30 total, doing only around 20 loads more, putting it around $0.20 per load. That’s 13 times more!

Indefinite Shelf Life

I don’t think I need to convince any of you that that’s a good thing. Especially for something homemade.

Works Great!

Beyond all the factors listed above, this homemade remedy will not leave you wanting. It works awesome and doesn’t leave a grimy residue like many homemade detergents.

So before we get started…

Safety Procedures

I will not be held responsible for you frying half of your brain cells while making this so please listen to me on these and you won’t have any problems. Remember, we’re making laundry detergent!

Make It In A Well Ventilated Area – If it’s not too cold, I’d recommend taking everything and a butane stove out into the garage to do it. If it’s too cold or you don’t have a portable burner. Make sure you have a fan close by to blow the fumes out an open window.

Wear A Mask – Just another safety measure to prevent fume inhalation.

Keep Children and Pregnant Women Out of the Room – I think you know why.

Now you don’t have to, but it’s also a good idea to wear gloves. Not as important as the other safety procedures but it wouldn’t hurt.

Getting Started

Now I’ve done my fair share of finding the perfect homemade laundry recipe. There are endless possibilities floating around Pinterest and cyberspace alike. This particular recipe I found on Budget101 and after using it, I’ve never looked back.

You will be able to find all of the ingredients you need at Walmart. In this recipe we’ll be using 4 cups of water, Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda, 20 Mule Team Borax, Purex Softening Crystals (they have a handful of different scents for you to choose from) and Fels-Naptha. Don’t try to “boost” the detergent with anything like Oxyclean. Your jars will blow up in a few days. Also, just trust me on the Fels-Naptha. It is a great stain remover. Replacing it with other soaps just won’t work the same. You will also need 2 quart sized mason jars to store it in.

Grate 1 bar of Fels-Naptha with a cheese grater. You can also cut it in smaller chunks with a knife and put it in a food processor. I personally found this to be much easier. Oh and make sure that everyone knows that it isn’t cheddar cheese for them to pick at. That would be an embarrassing trip to the emergency room.

Heat up 4 cups of water on high heat. When it starts to boil, add in your Fels-Naptha shavings. Reduce the heat to medium-high and stir consistently for around 15 minutes or until it is completely melted. Be careful not to have the heat too high. The last thing you want is for this to boil over.

Mix together the 1 C. Arm and Hammer Washing Soda, 1 C. Borax and 1/3 C. Purex Crystals in a bowl.

Remove melted Fels-Naptha from heat and stir in the dry ingredients.

Transfer back to medium-low heat and stir vigorously until the ingredients are completely dissolved and no longer gritty – around 20 minutes. This part makes a great arm workout too.

Run two quart sized mason jars under hot water to heat the glass. This will prevent the jars from cracking when you add the hot mixture.

Pour half of the mixture into each glass.

Fill each with hot water until it reaches the shoulders of the jars.

Screw on the lid and band and flip the jars upside down. You may notice some solid residue stuck to the bottom of the jar. If you do, hold the jar with a dish cloth (it will be hot) and shake vigorously until the residue is gone.

Let it sit untouched for roughly 3.5 hours. Any earlier and it may not be cool enough to set right. Any later, and it could become too gritty. After the time has passed turn the jars upright. You’ll notice the bottom has solidified to a very thick paste.

Remove the lid and scrape the residue of Purex Crystals back in the jar by wiping it on the mouth of the jar.

Using an immersion blender, whip the mixture. When you’re done it should look like cream cheese frosting. Yes, I’m salivating.

Screw back on the lid and throw em in your laundry room!

Instructions for Use (For a Medium Load)

1. Add Clothing to Washing Machine
2. Run Water for Your Desired Wash Cycle
3. Scoop 1 Tbsp of Super Laundry Sauce and Run it Under the Water
4. Let the Machine do the Work

Now I know our minds have been trained to believe that more is better. That is not the case with this. If you add more than the 1 Tbsp for a large load you will get a grimy residue on your clothing. Also, if your finished product ends up gritty versus smooth, you didn’t let the soaps dissolve completely. If it’s very gritty, you’ll want to spoon the mixture back into a sauce pan and stir it constantly on medium heat until it is smooth.

Now go make a ton so you can have clean clothes when SHTF without using up a whole room to store detergent!

When you do come to your senses and finally get out to get your permit please do the following:

1. Learn How To Use A Firearm First – Do not be the dope that showed up to class with a borrowed gun and has no knowledge of how a gun works or the basics of gun safety.
2. Find A Class That Includes A Portion Where You Shoot Your Weapon – Not only is this a great opportunity to have a professional give you some instruction, it’s also a good indicator that the class will be more interactive and interesting.
3. Turn In Your Paperwork Promptly After Completing The Course – Here in Utah you have 1 year to turn in your paperwork before having to retake that wonderful 4 hour class. You’d be surprised how fast a year goes by.
4. Stay Up On Your Training – If you don’t maintain your skills, you carrying a gun may end up being more dangerous to you than not. To avoid deadly accidents and mistakes, you need to stay acquainted with the use of a gun if you plan on carrying. Please don’t be one of those “I’ll turn into superman and remember everything I’d ever need to know when the situation arises” type of people.

Now back to substance – I am not a pro canner. I can many items but I’m not one to spend the majority of my summer over a pressure canner and pectin. So I am truthfully asking for any helpful feedback in the comments from you die-hard’s out there.

On another post of mine, I had a reader ask me if I had a list of items that should or should not be canned. So this post is for you Rae. I hope everyone finds this quick reference helpful. I’m not so bold to suggest that it is completely comprehensive, but it will cover the majority of the basics that most people will be interested in canning.

To Can at Home

Lemons
Gooseberries
Strawberries
Cherries
Peaches
Plums
Oranges
Apples
Blueberries
Jam
Apricots
Raspberries
Blackberries
Grapefruit
Pears
Pineapple
Some Tomatoes
Carrots
Beets
Squash
Peppers
Mushrooms
Sweet Potatoes
Asparagus
Pickled Cabbage
Lima Beans
Salmon
Tuna

Not To Can at Home

Homemade MayonnaiseCheese
Milk
Butter
Sour Cream
Yogurt
Homemade Pasta, Wheat or Rice Added Soups (they will turn to mush)
Broccoli
Brussel Sprouts (not pickled)
Cabbage (not pickled)
Cauliflower (not pickled)
Eggplant (not pickled)
Olives
Mashed Potatoes
Artichokes
Mashed Squash
Mashed Pumpkin
Avocados
Mashed Bananas
High Fat Meats
Lettuce
Onions

Strike On Box

Strike On Box, also known as Safety Matches, will only light when struck on a specially prepared surface of the box. Matches of this variety are most common for obvious reasons – reducing the likelihood of people accidentally burning down their homes. In a survival scenario however, these matches are inferior to their more versatile counterparts, the Strike Anywhere Match

Strike Anywhere

As you probably already assumed, a Strike Anywhere Match will light when struck against pretty much any rough and dry surface.

If you already have a whole cabinet full of Strike On Box Matches do not throw them away! They are still useful with their safety strike pad. You can always add strike anywhere matches to your supply but save any and all matches you currently have. This tutorial is specifically for Strike Anywhere Matches.

Supplies

For this project you’ll need a quart sized canning jar, a bunch of matches, glue, a permanent marker, scissors and sandpaper.

Step One: Cut Out Your Strike Pad

Trace the canning lid on the backside of your sandpaper, then cut about an eighth of an inch inside of your traced circle.

Step Two: Attach the Sandpaper

Using some reliable glue, glue the sandpaper to the surface of your canning lid. Gluing it to the outside will prevent an accidental wearing on the strike pad from the matches, but it also exposes it to damaging elements like water.

TIP: In the picture below I failed to leave the sealing ring of the lid uncovered. If you want to put your sandpaper on the inside of the lid like I did, leave this ring exposed to keep it more watertight.

Step Three: Add Matches and Store

This part is pretty straight forward. Throw your matches in the jar and screw on the lid.

Keeping your matches in the jar will keep them safe from water damage. For you ladies, it’s also more attractive then a cardboard box. This way if you don’t have much storage space you can shamelessly integrate them into your home decor and make it look like it was on purpose. :)