Usually, realizing you’re out of laundry soap is not a moment of utter despair. Just drive to the nearest store, spend $13 for detergent, wash your desired garment, slip it on and go. But when you factor in a self-imposed ban on using your credit card for purchases and have no cash in your pocket, it’s a recipe for frustration. That’s the situation I found myself in recently.

After a momentary tantrum that included one or two not-ready-for-grandkids words, I accepted the reality: I needed to choose a new outfit for that evening’s event. What I thought was a disaster turned out to be a blessing. The runner-up garment proved to be much more comfortable and suitable. I chalked it up as a win.

Several days later, I began researching do-it-yourself laundry detergent recipes on the internet. I wasn’t surprised to find an abundance of resources—what surprised me was that they were all basically the same recipe, containing three ingredients: borax, washing soda and a natural bar of soap. At a big-box store, four pounds of borax and washing soda cost $3.99 each and a bar of a natural soap costs just 99 cents.

When I had cash in my wallet once again, I headed to the store, having been guaranteed by the universe’s DIY gurus that these items could be easily found. The gurus were honest and true—the borax and washing soda sat among the laundry detergents. The bar soap rested comfortably just west of the pharmacy.

At home, I proudly showed off my purchases to my husband and got to work grating the bar soap with my cheese grater. He remembered his mother grating soap in his childhood, which probably meant she, too, made her own detergent.

Once the soap resembled soft, white curls of cheese, I added one cup of borax and one cup of washing soda. The next step was to store the mixture in an airtight container.

I chose a mason jar from our cabinet and slapped on a mailing label I had on hand: “Laundry, add 1-3 tablespoons per load.” Stir. Measure. Wash. Wait. It was that simple.

The virgin laundry load was full of my husband’s dirty work jeans. His response would be the determining factor as to whether we’d continue using my new detergent or not.

Pulling them out of the dryer several hours later, he gave them a quick once-over. Then he pulled his favorite, battered jeans up over his hips, buttoned the fly, and declared, “Looks good.”

Feeling encouraged by my simple success, I perused the internet once more for dishwasher soap. I was pleased to find the two main ingredients were borax and washing soda.

The recipe I used called for white distilled vinegar to be added in the rinse cycle. My dishwasher does not share such personal information with me, so I just took greater care to rinse the dishes before loading them. I closed the lid, selected the smart wash cycle and hoped for the best. The dishes appeared clean, but running my hand across the surface revealed they were gritty and covered in fingerprints. Apparently, adding vinegar really does matter!

I’ve been bitten by the DIY bug. I felt a connection to generations of women before me and wondered what cleaning supplies they made at different times in history, before we became so dependent on big business for our needs. Now if I can only figure out how to make my own borax, washing soda and pure bar soap.