Homemade Laundry Detergent

I know, laundry detergent? It sounds boring. But I was actually excited to make my own laundry detergent for the first time. It's way cheaper, and supposedly better for the environment, than store-bought detergent. You should try it!

Ingredients:

1 bar of soap (I used Colgate Octagon, but you can search the internet for other popular detergent soaps)
1 cup washing soda
1 cup borax

*soap was purchased at Bloom (a grocery store); I could not find it anywhere else. Cost: $0.79
*washing soda is not sold at Target... but it is sold at most grocery stores. Cost: $3
*borax seems to be sold pretty much everywhere. I got it at Target. Cost: $3

NOTE: although the ingredients are natural, they are still toxic to humans and pets if they are swallowed or inhaled or if they get in the eyes. Wash hands after touching the washing soda and borax, and keep out of reach of children and pets.

Instructions:

1. Grate the bar of soap. (I bought a grater specifically for this so I don't end up eating soap.) This will take roughly 20 minutes and cause your wrists extreme soreness. I didn't see this coming, so I figured I should warn you. This is nothing like grating cheese; it's kind of like grating a rock.

2. Measure your powdered ingredients.

3. Put all ingredients in a container, close it with a lid and shake to mix.

You're done!

Use approximately 2 tablespoons of powdered detergent for each medium-sized load. This recipe makes about 32 loads, and I have a ridiculous amount of leftover washing soda and borax for next time.