Good, clean fun: Entertain the kids and get a jump-start on the laundry with this homemade detergent

Children like to get dirty.

Children also like to blow things up.

What, then, could be better than letting children blow things up in the name of science while mixing up a batch of cheap, environmentally-friendly laundry detergent that will help get their clothes clean after a spring day spent playing in the dirt?

A bar of Ivory soap, a cup of washing soda, a half-cup of Borax and a little quality time with the munchkins will yield a batch of inexpensive, easy-to-make detergent.

Materials

Ingredients to make homemade laundry detergent.Laura Simon

• 1 bar of Ivory soap
• 1 c. washing soda
• 1/2 c. borax

Equipment

Ingredients to make homemade laundry detergent.Laura Simon

• Large, microwave-safe plate
• Quart canning jar

Unwrap the bar of Ivory soap, put it on the plate and nuke it in the microwave for about a minute. Tell the children to keep an eye on it.

As the soap heats, it will inflate. This is because Ivory soap is full of tiny air pockets. Moisture is trapped inside the air pockets; as it heats, it turns into steam and expands, causing the soap to inflate. It will look like a giant pile of shaving cream, but it's dry. At worst, it might expand beyond the edge of the plate and get a little soap on the sides of the microwave, which can be wiped off easily with a damp cloth.

Let the soap cool for a couple of minutes. The middle will stay hot longer than the outside, so be careful with it.

Once it's cool enough for little fingers to handle safely, let the children crumble the soap into powder. If any big chunks remain, they can go back into the microwave to be reheated until they inflate properly.

Hudson and Brooklyn Mlot watch as the Ivory soap inflates in the microwave.Laura Simon

Put the crumbled soap into a quart mason jar. Help the children measure a cup each of washing soda and Borax and add them to the jar.

Note: You must use washing soda, not baking soda. They are not the same thing, and baking soda won't work. Washing soda is available in the laundry aisle at most grocery stores.

Screw the lid onto the jar and let the children shake it up until all the ingredients are mixed thoroughly.

If desired, divide the finished detergent into smaller jars -- one for each child -- and let the children create their own labels to decorate the jars.

Use 1 to 2 tablespoons of powdered detergent per load of laundry.

Hudson Mlot shakes up his homemade laundry detergent mixture while his sister, Brooklyn, observes.Laura Simon

Liquid variation

If you prefer liquid detergent, you can use the ingredients above, with this variation: Once the soap is crumbled, bring two cups of water to a boil.

Whisk the crumbled soap into the boiling water, a little at a time, until it dissolves. (Small children probably shouldn't help with this part, as the risk of scalding is too high.)

Pour the soapy water into a 5-gallon bucket and whisk in the washing soda.

Add the Borax and stir.

By line / Cutline:Brooklyn Mlot pours Borax into a measuring cup to add to her homemade laundry detergent mixture as her brother, Hudson, observes.Laura Simon

Stir in three gallons of hot (not boiling) tap water, cover the bucket and let it sit overnight.

The finished product may separate, with a thick gel on top and water on the bottom; if this happens, just whisk it again before using. Store in the bucket or pour into smaller containers. Use about a cup of the liquid detergent per load of laundry.