I'm happy to report success! The T-shirt and sports bra no longer smell like... like... well, you know.
Our source for the recipe was the wilds of the Internet, plus advice from Making It: Radical Home Ec for a Post-Consumer World.
1 cup of Borax
1 cup of washing soda
1 grated bar of Fels Naptha soap. (1st grate, then use a blender.)
Instructions: Mix. 2 tablespoons per load.
Yup. That's it.
There are roughly 6 million videos on this on YouTube, so we didn't capture every step. But here are some photos for you visual types.
Additional info.... The soap didn't seem to want to blend in evenly with the other ingredients but that hasn't made a difference in the washing. Kelly and Erik from the Making It book note that you may have to experiment with the recipe or the dosage depending on whether or not you have hard or soft water and what kind of grime you are trying to get out. Their book also explains how it works and what the different ingredients each do.
Note: You don't get suds. That's weird at first, but since the clothes come out clean, I don't mind.
Making your own laundry detergent isn't going to save you piles o' cash instantly, but every little bit adds up. Besides, why pay for stuff you don't need like extra chemicals and scent? Our ingredients cost $11.95, and based on how little each load needs, I'm guessing this is going to be much cheaper in the long run. We're keeping track of how many loads we do so we'll let you know if it is cost effective.
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