This is from Discountqueens.blogspot.com

Homemade washing powder.
Here is your shopping list:

1. 1 box of Borax - $3.99 at Fred Meyer
2. 1 box of Washing Soda (only found at Fred Meyer) - $2.99
3. 7 bars of soap - 3 packs of Ivory are free this week at Albertsons with doublers! ($1.49 each, use $1 off soap coupon from sundays paper!)

Supplies you need:

• Grater or food processor
• Large Tray (got mine at the dollar store on tuesday for $.88!)
• Storage container of some kind (got my tupperware from Fred Meyer for $2.50, but you can use smaller dollar store containers, a bucket, or anything with a lid that you have lying around!)
• Scoop - we used a baby formula scoop, but even a spoon will work! Roughly 1 Tablespoon size

Recipe:
Combine 1 cup of Borax, 1 cup of Washing soda, and 1 bar of grated soap. We used up all our supplies so our recipe ended up being 7 cups each of borax and soda, and 7 bars of grated soap!

Price comparison:
If you already have bar soap from home to use, or you get free soap this week - the cost for roughly 300 loads equals just $7! If you had to buy soap in addition to the borax and soda your price will go up a bit but it still beats Tide by a long shot!!!

FAQ:

1. Can I use this on my front loader HE machine? YES! I have front loaders and I have had NO problems using my homemade soap!
2. Is it harder on your clothes? Nope. Again, I havent noticed a bit of difference from switching from my store bought liquid brand.
3. Does it clean as well? Absolutely. I still pretreat stains before washing them, but my clothes are nice and clean when they come out!
4. Will I smell like bar soap? No! Your clothes come out smelling clean, but there isnt an overwhelming soap scent to your clothing. If you want, you can use a liquid softener in addition to your homemade soap and your clothes will come out smelling like that.
5. Does it matter what brand of bar soap I use? No. You can grate up 7 different bars of soap if you want to and combine them all in one batch! Truth be told I got rid of about 10 years worth of hotel soaps when I made my first batch! The only difference you will notice between brands, is that the oilier soaps grate in larger strips than the drier flakier soaps. They are a little tougher to grate and might take you a few minutes longer.

We hope you all go and get your free Ivory soap at Albertsons this week and give this recipe a try! Save some cash and have a supply on hand to save you from last minute trips to the store where you might have to pay top dollar! Let us know if you try it and how it works out for you! And please leave us a comment if you have any questions or if you are already a user of homemade soap and love it!