Home Made Laundry Review

Ok, remember when I said I would try making my own laundry detergent?  I did.  I made some.
For someone that is sorta preachy about preparedness I'm often and surprisingly unprepared.  I thought that I had everything needed to make the detergent.  Bucket with lid?  Lowes, check.  Bar of soap?  Hall closet, check.  Borax?   Albertsons, check. Washing soda?  That was a little tougher to find.  No luck at Albertsons, Rite Aid or Target.  I ended up finding it on my front porch. Thanks to a little washing soda delivery fairy named Brianne.  She knows I avoid Walmart and apparently they do sell washing soda.
So I was set.  I started by boiling some water and then using a box cheese grater to shave a bar of soap into the water.  While the soap is simmering and melting I was supposed to put 3 gallons of water into the bucket.  I had to Google how many cups were in a gallon.  Sixteen.  Sixteen times three.  I felt like a real idiot, but I emptied my one cup measuring tool into the bucket 48 stinking times.  I know there has to be an easier way, but I couldn't seem to come up with it at the time.  I have a new baby - can we blame my dullness on sleep deprivation?
The end result was a sloppy gel like substance.  The first time I tried it was on a large load of dirty jeans.  Jeans that were worn while pheasant hunting. (No, I do not pheasant hunt, but the husband does.) Dirty and smelly.  They came out dirt less and smelling clean.  The ingredients were CHEAP and I have enough to make another batch.  I would say this experiment was a SUCCESS.  And it was honestly kind of fun to make and made my house smell wonderful.