First round with DIY Laundry Detergent

I posted earlier about making my own laundry detergent, and I spent 2 weeks searching for ingredients and recipes.  Unfortunately, 99% of the recipes I found called for Washing Soda.  I have looked in every store I've been into in the last few weeks (and some I just happen to drive by) but with no luck.  So, I decided to play around with my own recipe.  This is what worked for me, keeping in mind that I have naturally VERY hard water, thus a water softener.

For a small test batch, I mixed:

• 2 Tablespoons Borax (20 Mule Team)
• 2 Tablespoons Baking SODA
• 1/4 bar of Fels-Naptha Laundry Sopa (Measured soap to be 4 inches across, cut 1 inch off and shredded)

I mixed all the finely ground particles together and added 2 tablespoons of the mixture to the washer, medium load.   I did 3 medium-large loads, all came out great!  I don't yet have enough for a whites load, which will be the real test, but so far so good.  I have a 10-year old top-loading machine with agitator, and I use about 1/4 cup vinegar + 1/4 cup water as fabric softener.  If you have an HE washing machine, I would suggest starting out with less detergent - maybe 1 Tablespoon per load. 

Based on what I paid for my materials, cost is $0.09-$0.14 per load.  Is this cheaper than commercial detergent?  Not by much, depending on which brand you buy.  Is it safer for the environment?  I don't know.  Does it contain fewer chemicals all around?  Yup.  It would be even better if an organic castile soap were used in place of the Fels-Naptha, but the FN was much cheaper for me to experiment with.  

Being a child of the 80's, I was excited about this recipe and my feat.  My best friend - just as excited.  My mom, grandma, and aunt - they laughed at me and said "Why bother?"  I'm guessing its a generational thing, but this is just something I've always wanted to try!  Is it completely about being frugal, or the environment, or fragrance-free?  Not really....  But life continues.  Happy washing!