Homemade Laundry Detergent

I've seen recipes for natural laundry detergent before, heard people talk about how they made theirs and contemplated making my own for a while.  I'm sure you know as well as I do that the natural laundry detergent at the stores is ridiculously expensive.  And I'm also sure you've heard or read from at least one source why the natural options are better and how the other kind is going to damage your children or the world or whatever.  I'll spare you the details.

I finally got the motivation to go for it.  I used this recipe for the liquid laundry detergent.  I feel sure that making the powder laundry detergent would be far less messy, but I just figured if I was going to do it I wanted to maximize my savings.  Probably, I would make it in the bathtub next time (with the exception of the stove top part, of course), even though it wasn't horribly messy, just wet.

This was one of the things on my Mother's Day wish list, so I had good helpers.

Luke and Eli thought it was a lot of fun.  I think it made us all feel a little like pioneers (or maybe Pilgrims, since Luke already thinks I was one back before he was born).

After using this for almost a week, I like it.  I haven't seen any negatives yet, even after washing a really dirty, stinky, little (and big) boy load.  Here are a few tips I would give:
1. Mix it up in the bathtub.
2. Pour it into jugs in the bathtub or outside.
3. Gather your gallon containers before making your batch. (That might be a "duh" for some people, but it was not for me, and we have had a covered 5 gallon bucket sitting in our garage for a week now as a result.)
4. If you're intimidated by 5 gallons, cut it in half.  

I'm not planning on making my own soap or candles, but this was worth the time and effort.