Detergent and Diapers

I've been testing out differnt recipes for a homemade laundry soap. I wanted something cheap, effective, and easy to make. After trying a few and tweaking it till I was happy, here is what I would recommend:

Powdered Laundry Soap:

1 C Arm and Hammer Baking Soda
1 C Arm and Hammer Washing Soda
1 shaved soap bar (Feldsnaptha recommended)

For easy soap-shaving, use a food processor. Mix all ingredients and use 1/4 c per average load. Do note, that this soap will not get out bad stains on its own. Either pre-treat or pre-soak stained items and then you will have no problem.

Cloth Diaper Soap:

1 C Arm and Hammer Baking Soda
1 C Arm and Hammer Washing Soda
1 C vinegar
1/4 C Dr. Bronner's liquid soap

*Vinegar makes a great fabric softner and whitner for the diapers. Add during rinse cycle or use it during a second wash.

Mix all of these ingredients together. It will start as a liquid, turn to a paste, and then as you continue to mix it turns to a solid. Break into a powder. Use 2 TBS per load. Rinse well. It is the best I've found for my diapers. But do watch for skin irritations for a few days to make sure your child does not react to the Dr. Bronner's (it's an all natural soap).

A few other notes: I tried to make my own dish washer soap to no avail. Nothing was effective. Also, be ware of soap/detergent recipes that call for Borax. While it has been around for a long time, the Enviromental Workings Group categorized it as a poison in February of this year.