Sanity Saving Monday Tip: Homemade Laundry Detergent

I'm feeling a little lazy and un-inspirational this morning, so I don't have any original tips from my brain to share with you. I did find this site that has 10 Homemade Laundry Detergent Recipes that I thought I'd share because this is my project for the week! I'm tired of spending so much on laundry detergent--it's expensive, huh? So when I hear "less than a penny per load" for these recipes....I'm all for it. Since I have well water and it's a little discolored at times (I've heard well-water can take up to three years to clear completely) I might need to tweak my recipe a bit and add more washing soda (the ingredient that does the majority of the cleaning.) I'm going to slowly try all 10 of these recipes until I find the one I like best, but here's the first recipe that I'm going to try this week. I'll post pics of my progress and let you know how it turns out.

Recipe #1 (that I'm trying this week!)

1 Quart Water (boiling)
1 Bar of Soap Grated (I'm using Ivory
2 Cups of Borax (found in the detergent isle at Wal-Mart)
2 Cups of Washing Soda (found at Ace Hardware on N. Kingshighway)

1. Add finely grated bar soap to the boiling water and stir until soap is melted. Turn heat down to low once melted.

2. Pour the soap water into a large, clean pail (I'm using a 5-gallon bucket) and add the Borax and Washing Soda. Stir well (I'm using a painting stick) until all is dissolved.

3. Add 2 gallons of water and stir until well mixed.

4. Cover the 5-gallon bucket and use 1/4 cup for each load of laundry. You will need to stir each time before using because the detergent will gel-up.

And that's it! Sounds pretty easy, huh? I'm thinking of adding some essential oils (like lavender or tea-tree oil) to add a bit of a pleasant smell, but they're pricey ($9.99 at Hobby Lobby) so it's something I'll have to think about.

Have you tried homemade detergent before? Do you feel like your clothes actually come out clean and stain free?