Make Substitute Laundry or Dishwasher Detergent

Quick and easy substitutes for laundry or dishwasher detergent.

Steps

Understand that laundry detergent and dishwasher detergent are not the same thing. Laundry detergent foams and dishwasher detergent does not.
Put just a few drops of regular dish soap and a nice handful of baking soda. The baking soda helps stop the foaming from the regular dish soap and helps clean your clothes.
Use 1/2 cup of bleach instead of soap.
Use a 50/50 mixture of borax and baking soda or borax and washing soda.
Try using 1/2 tsp of non-sudsing ammonia and sprinkle baking soda on your dishes.
For laundry, you can try using dish soap, liquid hand soap, or shampoo in a pinch.

Too much liquid dish soap can make a big mess - bubbles everywhere. A few drops in your dishwasher is more than enough.
Bleach fumes can aggravate breathing problems like asthma.
Some dishwasher manufacturers say that bleach will eat the seal on your dishwasher, making it leak.
Bleach is corrosive and can damage some surfaces, particularly metal.
Never mix bleach with anything. It can give off chlorine gas which can kill you.
Sudsy ammonia can make a big mess - bubbles everywhere so check the label when you buy it and get the non-sudsing or non-foaming kind.