A recipe for Clothes?

I've gotta say, I really don't care for doing laundry! That probably stems from my days of working in clothing retail in my younger years. I folded clothing ALL day, it was a huge chore to have to come home just to keep folding clothes. When I finally became a stay at home mom, the laundry was always done and folded, so it wasn't as much of a chore, but definitely a turn off.
And now, I'm REALLY not a fan, because I tote it all down 3 flights of stairs, to the laundromat, and back up 3 flights of stairs. Not pretty. Really not pretty. But there is a Mrs. PacMan machine there, so that makes up for it. A little.

So, a while back, I came across a recipe to make laundry detergent. I've always loved a bargain and washing with less chemicals and more natural remedies. So, this "recipe" for cleaning seemed absolutely amazing. My friend Kristina decided to give it a whirl and she ended up loving it.

For a top load washer the cost is about 2 cents per load. Can you imagine it yet?? It's a steal and the directions are really easy!

The BEFORE AND AFTER results are amazing too! It has tough cleaning power. Although you should use a stain remover as usual for tough stains, it's great at cleaning. You can even add your own essential oils to "scent" the detergent to your liking.

1 Ivory soap bar
4 Cups - hot tap water
1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
½ Cup Borax
1 cup of dollar store oxy clean

Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water.
Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. It will gel.

Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled.
Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

To use:
-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)
-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)