Make your own laundry detergent for super cheap, and it's better than store brands.

There are few different recipes out there, here's the one I use. I use it for all different kinds of cleaning, even in my carpet shampooer, and in my opinion it cleans better than the expensive store products.

You will need: a bar of Fels-Naptha soap. A box of 20-Mule-Team Borax. A box of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (not to be confused with baking soda).

I make mine in a 2.5 gallon glass jar. If you want to make a batch in a 5-gallon tub just double the recipe.

Grate 1/3 of the bar of soap into a saucepan, add three or four cups of water and heat the mixture, stirring constantly until the soap dissolves. Then slowly add one cup of borax and one cup of washing soda, stirring constantly to avoid clumping. When you have a smooth slurry, pour it into your container, then add enough cold water to fill the container. Stir well. You'll need to stir it up every time you use it, because it separates. Use one-half cup of detergent per load of laundry.

You can buy all the ingredients for less than the cost of one large jug of brand-name laundry detergent, and they will make a ridiculous number of batches. The thing you'll need to buy most often is the Fels-Naptha (one bar makes three batches), and it's cheap. Also it smells great, so your clothes do too!