Save money with DIY laundry detergent and dryer sheets

I'm often shocked at the price of laundry detergent when I go through the laundry aisle. I'm shocked because I stopped buying it nearly two years ago. Since that time, I've been making my own detergent because of our son's sensitive skin. (That's also why I often make my own baby wipes.) To soften the clothes, I usually just pour a cup of white distilled vinegar into the rinse cycle. The vinegar smell doesn't stay with the clothes, and it gets them just as soft as any fabric softener you'll use. If you like the smelly-good stuff, though, you can still create your own fabric softener sheets much cheaper than buying dryer sheets. Here's how you can make your own homemade detergent and cheap fabric softener sheets.

Detergent (similar to this recipe, but without the scent crystals and Oxy-clean):

Ingredients:

• 1 cup borax
• 1 cup washing soda
• 1 Fels-Naptha bar

Directions:

Use a cheese grater to grate your bar of soap. You could also break it into small chunks and pulse it in your blender or food processor. Get it as small and powdery as you can, but if it comes out in slivers, that's okay, too. It will all wash up just the same. Pour the rest of the ingredients in your container, shake it all up, and store it in a container with a tight lid. Whenever you're ready to wash clothes, just add 1-2 tablespoons, depending on the size and dirtiness of your clothes.

DIY Fabric softener sheet

To make a multi-use fabric softener sheet, simply soak a washcloth in your favorite fabric softener, and allow it to air dry. Toss it in with your clothes when you put them in the dryer. It's supposed to be good for about 40 loads of laundry.

Do you make your own detergent or fabric softeners? Share your recipes in the comments.

Photo courtesy Britt Reints, via Flickr.