This is wonderful! I'm going to make this later today. Thank you
for posting this information Mathias. Another useful tip... instead
of costly and harmful (for you and the environment) fabric
softeners, add 1/2 - 1 cup (depending on water hardness) of vinegar
to your rinse water. It helps rinse away soap and hard water
deposits that make your clothes feel hard and crunchy.

Mathias, Thank you for adding the detergent recipe. I'm going to
try both out soon. Jasmine in Michigan

Diane, I found the following recipe on the internet a couple
years ago and have been using it ever since in my front loading
washing machine. My wife thought I was crazy when I told her I was
going to make this, now she thinks it's great, no more lugging
those bottles of liquid detergent home from the store, not to
mention the cost and environmental benefits. Hope you can make use
of it: I use homemade laundry detergent as an inexpensive
alternative. Take a bar of soap and grate it. Then cover it in
water in a small saucepan and heat until it's melted. In a
five-gallon bucket, add the soap, one cup of washing soda, and a
half-cup of borax. Then fill the bucket with hot water and stir
until everything has dissolved. After sitting for 24 hours, it will
gel up and work just like store-bought detergent. It produces very
few suds, and I've used it in both a regular washer and a
high-efficiency washer with good results. Just use about 1/2 cup
per load. Sometimes the mixture will separate, but it mixes back
together with a quick stir or shake. Borax can be found in the
laundry aisle of the grocery store. Washing soda is a little harder
to find. If you can't find washing soda, baking soda will work,
too. However, the mixture won't gel. It costs about $1 to make a
five-gallon bucket of detergent, and the bucket will last for 160
loads, making this a frugal alternative at less than a penny per
load. It's really easy, too. I get it done in about 10-15 minutes.
I leave mine unscented, but if you like fragrance, you can add a
few drops of essential oil as well.