Laundry Soap

Today I made some laundry soap. I know it sounds kinda crazy but it is easy, cheap, and free of a lot of the junk they put in the store bought stuff. The soap works great too! You can make liquid or power soap. Today I made the liquid.

Basically you take three laundry items and combine them to make the soap. You need 1 bar of Fels-Naptha, 1 cup Washing Soda and ½ cup Borax. If you don't already have a Fels-Naptha bar get one! Even if you are not going to make this soap it is a great pre-treater to get out anything. Love it! Also Washing soda is not baking soda. Both are made by Arm & Hammer but very different.

First grate the Fels-Naptha in a pan. You are going to melt this to use as the soap base. I don't know if you have to, but I have a pan and spoon I use just for this. So I don't know if it will leave a residue or make the pan taste funny after. I went to a thrift store and got an inexpensive pan so I wouldn't have to find out :)

For this part I don't follow the recipe. It says to just add 4 cups of water to the grated soap, I add more. I think it melts easier. Plus eventually this will end up being 5 gallons so whether you add 4 cups or 15 now doesn't matter so I just fill my pan.

While the soap is melting go ahead and get a 5 gallon bucket and put in the washing soda and borax.

Then you can add enough hot water to dissolve the powders.

Once the Fels-Natha is all dissolved it will look a little something like this. Much nicer than the chunky version!

Then you dump that in the bucket with the washing soda mix. Give it a stir and fill the bucket the rest of the way with hot water. Let it cool overnight and it will thicken up and be ready to use. If you try it I hope it works for you! We like it.

Here is an easier text only version of the recipe:

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap

4 Cups - hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
½ Cup Borax

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)

-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)