Making Natural Powdered Detergent

The powdered detergent is a kind of soap, which is usually used in washing clothes and in cleaning. Powdered detergents easily dissolve in water, produce suds easily, and have abrasive strength that is not present in any ordinary laundry bar soap. These make powdered detergent popular for washing and cleaning. Among the different kinds of soap, the powdered detergent is the easiest to make. Its basic ingredients is dry soap chips, which can be bought by the kilo in soap factories. Soap chips are small pieces which have been pared off from laundry bar soaps. Soap chips can also be made by breaking into pieces or saving dried laundry bar soap. In making the powdered detergent, the 40% soap chips : 40% sodium sulfate : 20% STPP proportion or combination should be followed as guide in whatever volume desired. Ingredients (for 2 1/2 glasses of powdered detergent)

	Quantity	% to Total Weight
dry soap chips	1 glass	40
sodium sulfate	1 glass	40
STPP	1/2 glass	20
tergitol	1 ml	0.1
TOTAL	2 1/2 glasses	100%

Materials:

• plastic glasses (for measuring the ingredients)
• basin or mixing bowl
• hand gloves
• jar or container with lids

Procedure

1. Shave or break into pieces a laundry bar soap to make one glass of dry soap chips. Prepare one glass of sodium phosphate. This will provide the so-called abrasive strength to the powdered detergent.
2. Mix the dry soap chips and sodium phosphate in a basin. Add 1/2 glass of STPP to the mixture. The STPP will make the soap produce suds.
3. Add 1 ml of tergitol to the mixture. This serves as binder for the powdered detergent so that it does not become very loose.
4. Mix the ingredients well with your hands. Wear gloves to avoid any allergic reaction.
5. Transfer the mixture to a jar with lid. Shake the jar to mix the ingredients well. Set aside. This is now your powdered detergent.