DIY mixes ~ Laundry Soap, Taco Spice, and Onion Soup Mix ~ Oh my!

I am definitely not a DIY-er.  I am not handy enough to fix things or sew things or make things or cook things.  However, there are a few things I have figured out are just easier to make if I do them myself.  I did not make these up, I did research and copied them.  Then I tweaked them to suit me.  This post is partly FYI and partly a place for me to keep the ones I really liked.  If I know where the base recipe came from, I included that link.

Laundry Soap

1 - 4 lb 12 oz box Borax
1 - 4 lb box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda
1 - 55 oz box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
1 - 5 lb container of Oxy Clean 
3 bars of soap - you can use Fels-Naptha soap, but I use whatever soap I have around 
1-2 - 55 oz container(s) of Purex Crystals, depending on how much scent you like 

You can shred your soap, or put it in the food processor and pulse it to make small pieces instead of shreds.  Dump all the ingredients in a 5 gallon bucket and mix.  I use just shy of 1/8 cup per load, with a full or heaping 1/8 cup if really dirty clothes.  (For those of you that are math-challenged like I am, 1/8 cup - 2 T.)  This typically lasts our family of five 5 months.

My base idea comes from Being Creative.

Taco Spice

1 T chili powder
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t onion powder
1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 t paprika
1 1/2 t ground cumin
1 t sea salt
1 t black pepper

Mix the spices together and store in an airtight container.  I make these in big batches and store in a mason jar.  

The recipe for the bigger batch is:

1/2 cup chili powder
2 t garlic powder
2 t onion powder
1-2 t red pepper flakes
4 t paprika
1/4 c ground cumin
2 T sea salt
2 T black pepper

I often double this as well.  Mix the spices together and store in an airtight container.

My recipe is a mix between $5 Dinners and All Recipes.

Onion Soup Mix

4 t beef bouillon granules or powder
8 t dried onion flakes
1 t onion powder
1/4 t pepper

Mix the ingredients together.  Store in an airtight container.  Use within 6 months.  One single recipe (above) is equal to 1 package/envelope of onion soup mix.

BUT...I make a lot of it at once and store it in a mason jar.  1/4 cup of this mix is said to be equal to one packet of Lipton Onion Soup Mix.

I have no idea where I got this one.

I have a few other recipes and mixes, and I will share them later.