Per inspiration from this forum I tried my hand at making my own clothes washing detergent.. It's working so well I can't help wondering if there's something wrong with it that I haven't thought about. 
Seriously, I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop.
4 cups of borax (20 Mule Team)
4 cups of washing soda
1 large bar of Ivory soap, shredded.
That's it. I use 3 to 4 ounces, about 1/2 a cup, per large load of clothes. That might actually be too much, it's hard to tell.
Good things foremost in my mind: The clothes come out clean. The detergent smells pleasant, but clothes don't smell like detergent. They don't smell like anything. They're softer than they were with Tide, the detergent I've been using my whole life. Soft, clean clothes that don't smell like strong chemicals. We've been using it for a month now and haven't developed any rashes. Family was skeptical but enthusiastically endorses it now. I have a hunch I'm not saving money, compared to the giant box of Tide I usually bought. But that doesn't matter, I'm having a good time making it.
One possible drawback: I have a vague memory from my brief foray into using cloth diapers that you're not supposed to wash diapers in 'soap' because a waxy residue builds up which reduces absorbancy. Is that correct? So is a Ivory soap residue building up on our otherwise clean clothes?
So far I'm pretty pleased with the results, pleased with myself, and I recommend the method.
