This is my version. I apologize in advance for the long post.
Super Amp Laundry Powder with Tide® Power
By Suzanne Nelson
I spent hours on the internet looking for the best DIY laundry detergent recipe. I'm rather thrifty and didn't want to waste time or money and be left with something that didn't work. I took lots of notes and tried many different recipes, powder and liquid. I live in SC with red dirt and work in a school kitchen. I needed something heavy duty. I wanted to combine the savings of DIY detergent with the cleaning power you get from the enzymes found in Tide Laundry Detergent. You still save a whole lot of $$ without sacrificing super clean clothes. Here's what I came up with...
1 - box Borax
1 - box Washing Soda
5 - cap fulls Tide Liquid Laundry Detergent (I found Tide Coldwater on sale for $4.00. Any Tide Liquid will do. It doesn't have to be HE. Once combined with the Washing Soda, there are barely any suds)
2 - bars Fels Naptha and 1 bar Zote ( I use both cuz it's purty)
1 - 6 lb tub Sun Oxygen Powder
**OPTIONALS:
1 - bottle of Purex Crystals (your scent choice, I like Fresh Spring Waters)
1 - box Baking Soda (it won't hurt if you have it but isn't a deal breaker if you don't. From the research I have done, it's really not needed when there is Washing Soda. But if you feel you must... please feel free) I had it, so I tossed it in.
Grate soap bars and set off to the side to dry out. The dryer the soap the easier to turn into powder. I usually let them sit a day or two after I have grated them. Once they are dry and crumbly I run them through my spice grinder and turn them into a fine powder. Set aside until it is time to combine all ingredients. I have found I can get a finer powder when the grated soap is ground by itself rather than grinding after it's mixed with everything else. You can add a few spoons of Borax to make the soap grind dryer and too keep it from clumping. Set this mixture off to the side for later.
Mix Borax and Washing Soda together. Then add the Tide Liquid to the mix. Blend until the powders and liquid are fully incorporated and no individual clumps of white or blue are showing. Let this mixture dry over night. If mixed well, you should have a dry, fluffy powder the next day. If any hard clumps are found they can be taken care of when everything goes through the food processor for a final spin.
Making sure that all powders and mixtures are completely dry with no moisture remaining, combine all ingredients. Your grated, powdered soap bars might get gummy if exposed to any liquid. It is extremely important to wait and add the oxygen powder last to the thoroughly dried mixture. Once the oxygen powder comes into contact with liquid it is activated and will then lose it's cleaning power after a very short time making it useless.
I run everything through the food processor, as mentioned above. This ensures no clumpy bits, all ingredients are dispersed evenly, and will dissolve in water (including cold) more effectively. Make sure you have good ventilation and wear a painter's mask. All this processing produces some very fine dust.
Use 2 to 3 Tablespoons depending on the wash load. I save my bottles from the Purex scent crystals and store some of my finished powder in those. The little cap measures out the perfect amount I need and its handy for traveling.
This recipe makes enough to last for a really long time. I can't be sure if it's actually a year's supply. My friends and family that started out as my lab monkeys keep bringing back their original test sample jars for refills. I still have plenty left after 6 months, which is still a considerable savings from just one $4.00 sale jug of Tide.
When washing I always follow with a 1/4 cup Vinegar rinse to make clothes soft and get any residue that tries to sneak past. No odor of Vinegar is left behind. DO NOT USE VINEGAR RINSE IF YOU USED CHLORINE BLEACH IN THE WASH LOAD!!!
My tweaked recipe is a bit more time consuming, but in the end the finished product is worth the effort. It is every bit as effective as store brands at a fraction of the cost. And it's fun to make.
roblem: I mean, the clothes LOOKED sort of clean, but they weren't.
