Homemade Washer Soap and Dishwasher Soap

This year I made and started using homemade washing machine soap and love it. It's inexpensive, but makes a ton. I've made this one time and it's almost gone, so it's lasted me 9 months. And that's using it 4 or 5 times every week.

Ingredients

• 1 (4 lb 12 oz) Box of Borax- Found in the detergent aisle
• 1 (3 lb 7 oz) Box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda- Found in the detergent aisle
• 1 (3 lb) Container of OxyClean- Found in the detergent aisle. (This is optional but I highly recommend adding it)
• 2 (14.1 oz) Bars of Zote Soap- Found in the detergent aisle (I use Fels-Naptha bars.)
• 1 (4 lb) Box of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda- Found in the cooking aisle (You could also get two 2 lb box, we couldn’t find the larger 4lb box when we went)
• Optional: 1-2 (55 oz) Bottle of Purex Crystals Fabric Softener- Found in the detergent aisle (this just makes it smell good and softens your fabric.)

Grate up the bars of soap. (Don't worry, the pieces dissolve during a cycle.) Throw everything into a very large bucket and mix it up really well. You only need 1-2 Tablespoons per load depending on the size, and it works for both top loading and front loading machines. It doesn't bubble up so it seems like it's not working until you see all your laundry way cleaner then before.

To read the original recipe and see what others say about how it works and how long it lasts them check out the post on How Does She.

I don't have a dishwasher so I've never tried this recipe, but if you're interested here's a link for homemade dishwasher detergent.