Pros:
All-natural
Biodegradable
Safe
Gentle
Effective
Reuse containers
Cons:
Hardens and needs to be broken up
Occasionally lumps of detergent remain in wash after load is done
Recipe makes small amount of detergent
Recipe:
1/4 cup castile soap (I like peppermint)
1 cup baking soda
1 cup washing soda
1 cup white vinegar
Mix the castile soap with the powders. Add vinegar (it will foam up, then settle down, just mix). Stir til completely combined.
At this point I leave it, and it hardens. If you keep mixing through the hardening process you can break it up right away. It becomes a lumpy powder. I have yet to perfect the process so it all gets crunched up to a thin powder, but honestly, I don't have time at the moment, and it works well anyhow. 1/2 cup in a regular size load does the trick. Makes about 5 loads worth...something like that.
I've been using this detergent for weeks now, with great results.
If you try it, let me know what you think.