This is the year I finally rose up against the tyranny of supermarket laundry detergent, an item that had been the bane of my weekly shopping budget for eons.
Surely one can make these things oneself. Did people not wash clothes in the 19th century?
My sanitized salvation came via a slew of homesteading websites. A good basic recipe is offered by Crystal Miller at her Family Homestead site.

I also dug this photo-illustrated recipe for powdered laundry detergent at DIY Natural, the site run by Matt & Betsy Jabs, authors of the DIY Natural Housecleaners book.

Both are based around Borax and a substance called Washing Soda, both easily available at Stop & Shop if you can look beyond the pop-art glare of Tide and Clorox. Plus, you know, soap—a grated bar of Fels Naptha or, if you’d rather, Dove or Lux.

A batch of each homemade concoction, wet and dry, has lasted me months so far, with dozens more loads in sight. Big deal when you walk to the market as I do (liquid soap is heavy), try to keep your weekly grocery bill within the double digits, and do about 10 loads of laundry a week. (Family of four, don’tcha know.)

As for cleaning power, the home brew seems more powerful than the cheap watery dollar-store laundry-soap brands, and equal to the top ones. Low-suds, so they’re front-loader friendly. The liquid one has a lumpy consistency, and as far as I can see, the fact that you have to shake the bucket before using, and have to add your own fragrance (if desired) is the only difference (and a charming, craftsy one at that) between my ultracheap soap and the costly ones that have blinded and hypnotized me for so long at the store.