Homemade laundry soap

For the last TWO years, I have not bought laundry soap. I make my own. It is easy, it's fun (in a nerdy way) and it's CHEAP!

Here's the "recipe" I use:

 

 

 

Homemade Laundry Soap

1 bar Fels Naptha soap, grated       

1/2 to 1 cup washing soda*            

1/2 to 1 cup Borax

5 gallons water

5 gallon bucket and lid

 

Boil 4 cups water. Turn to medium heat. Add grated soap til all soap is melted. In the meantime, fill 5 gallon bucket half full with hot tap water.

 

 

Add washing soda and Borax to water. When soap mixture is melted, add to water as well.

Fill rest of bucket with hot tap water and let sit for 24 hours, covered, before using.

 

 

Use 1/2 cup- 1 cup of soap for a regular load of laundry.

*Washing soda and baking soda are different, but baking soda is cheaper. To convert baking soda into washing soda, bake baking soda at 250 degrees for 1 hour.

 

 

EASY, right???

Here's some more info and photos...

 

Fels Naptha is a bar of soap that can be found with the stain removers.

Borax is a natural cleaner that can also be found at the store with the stain removers.

 

Grated Fels Naptha (looks like cheese!) and box of Borax.

4 cups water with grated soap...

 

 

 Baking soda turning into washing soda....

TA DA!

 

 

 

 

You can use the soap straight from the bucket, you funnel it into old liquid detergent bottle.

 

Some recipes say to dilute the mixture with water and then use it. I just use a little less of the undiluted soap.

 

For normal cleaning, I use about 1/2 cup of soap for a load. For rags or other dirtier loads, I use from 1 cup to 1  1/2 cups of soap.

I do A LOT of laundry, at least 10 loads a week, and a 5 gallon bucket of soap lasts me about 3 months. I figured that without the initial cost of the bucket and lid, spend $12 a year on laundry soap.

 

FOR REAL!

And I really like it.

I have had several friends try it and they don't like that there is no scent to it. I just use nice smelling drying sheets and that's enough for me.