Homemade Laundry Detergent and Dryer Sheets

Homemade Laundry Detergent:

For about a year now, I've been using Honest Laundry detergent.  It is gentle on my girls' skin, but it is also fragrance free.  When I do laundry I really like some sort of scent (as long as it's natural).   My good friend has been making her own laundry detergent for a while now and loves it so I thought I'd give it a try.  See original recipe here.  I just finished making our second batch today!  My mom and I put our ingredients and supplies together and now we have a pot, spoon, funnel, grater, and measuring cup all dedicated to making laundry detergent.  It makes so much we've been sharing each batch.

Ingredients:

a bar of soap (your favorite kind.  I stuck with my Honest brand because I love the scents that they make                           and I didn't want to "test" my girls skin with other soaps)
1 Cup of Borax
1Cup of Washing Soda (also used in my homemade dishwasher detergent)
a big pot (2+ Gallon)
a grater
a funnel
a long spoon
2 empty gallon jugs/containers

I kind got into the process of making it and forget to take pictures of each step, but it's pretty simple so here it goes!

Make Your Own. . . Dishwasher Detergent

Dishes in our house goes something like this:  Fill the dishwasher with dirty dishes (but rinse them or they won't come clean), pour in A LOT of detergent (or they won't come clean), put it on Pots and Pans setting, high temp, and sanitize (or they won't come clean).  When they are done:  Sort through them, put the clean ones away and rewash (almost half) of the ones that didn't come clean.  Repeat  two to three times a day.  And that is with a newer dishwasher!  We have tried every brand of dishwasher detergent.  Pricey ones, cheap ones, chemical ones, Eco-friendly ones and the same with rinse agents.  They are all about the same to us.