:: The following is a guest post by Nichola at Peach Farmer’s Wife ::
———————————————————————————————-
Why make my own laundry soap? Here are a few of the reasons I gave it a shot…
1. Cost. I am always looking for ways to free up limited resources. If I can pay less to wash my clothes, something that most people do over and over and over, then I can use that money for something else….
2. Safety. I am all about safer products for my family and the environment. Laundry soap is something most people use a ton of over the course of their lives. I like the idea of lowering the negative impact washing laundry could have on the planet. And a choice that is doable, affordable and works is a must for me..
3. Fun! I am a homemaker and am passionate about what I do. I love learning about how to do it myself. I also love the personal touch that making my own products allows me to have.
Now for the recipe and how-to!
I found this recipe on Crystal’s site, and then added a few of my own things. Her page is worth a read and very helpful. In this recipe I have included links to sites that sell the products so you can see what I used, but you should be able for to find the things needed at a local store, and in most cases for less than the online stores. (Esp. with a coupon!) 
Some people have a hard time finding the washing soda locally in some areas.
DIY Liquid Laundry Soap
Add to a medium saucepan:
- 1/3 bar grated soap – Fels Naptha, Ivory, Zote, etc. Grab what you have on hand. I used Fels Naptha. (A food processor woks for grating the soap, or a simple hand grater. Some online suppliers sell it pre-grated… )
- & 6 Cups water
Heat until soap melts (make sure there are no bits left unmelted in the bottom of the pan…) You don’t really need to boil the mixture, just get it hot and stir it every so often. (Try not to stir too vigorously so you don’t get too many suds. Suds can make it hard to tell if the soap is all the way dissolved…)
Add to pan:
1/2 Cup Washing Soda (NOT baking soda…)
1/2 Cup Borax (can be found in the laundry section at most grocery stores or Wal-Mart…)
Stir until Washing Soda and Borax are dissolved. Remove from heat.
Pour 4 Cups hot water into a large container that will hold at least 2 gallons. (This could be an old laundry soap bucket, a large enamel pan, plastic tub, etc. This could be the container you plan to store your soap in, or you can pour it into smaller containers later…)
Now add your soap/washing soda/borax mixture to the large container of water and stir. Do a good job of stirring. You want to mix the soap mixture into the water really well.
Add:
1 Gallon + 6 Cups of water, (or, 22 Cups) and, again, stir well. (But don’t slop!)
Optional: At this point, you can add “extra” stuff, like essential oils, etc. I added some orange essential oil, about 20 drops, and some DeSolvit, about 2 Tablespoons. (I love DeSolvit! It is a great laundry stain pre-treat product and safe to use on babies full strength. I couldn’t resist adding just a bit to my laundry soap!) Other essential oils you might consider would be lavender, rosemary, lemon, tea tree, etc.
Let the mixture sit for 24 hrs and you are good to go! You can use the soap right out of the container, or pour it up into smaller bottles (recycled laundry soap containers work great!)
Use about 1/2 Cup laundry soap per load. (I actually use a bit less in my front-loading washer. When I use a full 1/2 Cup, I notice a bit of suds left on the door at the end of the wash. An extra rinse would probably solve this, but I just used a bit less soap…)
This recipe makes about 64 loads.
Here is a not so great picture of my finished laundry soap. I was trying to show the consistency… (I am using a recycled scoop from store bought laundry detergent. Filled, it measures a perfect 1/2 cup.)
The process is a lot simpler than I thought it would be. I was amazed at how simple it was. The main thing is, gather your supplies ahead of time, get just a bit familiar with the instructions, and enjoy the process.
So, the real question for anything like this is, does it work? I have been using my soap for a month now, and in that time I have had a normal sampling of the things generated by 4 kids who live in the country, a round with the flu, bed wetting, etc. I have been very pleased with the results of the laundry soap in my clothes. Things smell nice and I nearly dance with glee knowing that I made it and it cost me very little. I say it works for me!
————————————————————————————
Nichola is a Home Manager who loves trying new products and getting the best deal. She lives with her husband and 4 children on a farm in TX. She blogs about random farm happenings, things she is interested in and deals she finds at Peach Farmer’s Wife.
I have been doing this for the past 4 months or so and have been very very pleased! My husband even used one of my good white towels to clean up mud that had been tracked into the house and it came out (without bleach)! Great money savings!
I’ve been using homemade laundry soap since Nov. and absolutely love it. I think it works just as great, if not better, than Tide!. (I’m a previous Tide user) I use a lot less. I figured up the cost, it’s about $1.25 per month! I can’t believe it. I do at least one load of laundry per day, and there is only 4 of us in our family. One batch of soap lasts us about 2 months.
Very happy w/it. I’ll soon be trying my own dishwasher soap also!
@Sarah Thrash, Wow! $1.25 a month is an awesome price! Do you use the same recipe, or is yours different?
Mine is about the same, but I use Ivory instead of Fels Naptha, mine looks lumpier than yours……
.-= Sarah Thrash´s last blog ..ShillyShally! =-.
I have also been making my own laundry soap since about last October and I absolutely love it! Not only the money savings, but it has also helped w/ my skin conditions (Psoriasis, eczema)!
Should’ve claified w/ the skin help – w/out all the “additives”, there is no itching or redness – if I happen to run out of my homemade soap and use Tide for a load, I immediately am itching and red!
@Tammy, That’s great to know! My daughter deals with Eczema in the summer and I wonder if it’s the heat + the additives in the detergent that inflames it. I’ve been able to keep my eczema under control with Apple Cider Vinegar, but it’s tough to give ACV to a 7 year old!
I truly hope it helps your daughter – those skin conditions can be extremely miserable! I’ll let you know my nieces little guy has it also and she went back to her homemade soap and noticed a marked improvement also! My DH washed some of my clothes in commercial soap (he uses it for some of his work clothes – for the tar and oil he gets into) and I immediately broke out – he couldn’t believe it and is now a firm believer also!
Wow I’m shocked that “looks” great! About how much upfront money does it take to try this?
About 3 bars of Ivory soap costs less than $2, then Washing Soda and Borax for a box of each costs about $5-$6, BUT you only use a little bit for each batch of detergent. It is awesome you should try it!
.-= Sarah Thrash´s last blog ..ShillyShally! =-.
I’ve been making my own laundry soap for a while now, as well. Someone asked about the cost. I had to purchase new ingredients recently, and a box of Borax was about $4.00 (would have been cheaper at Walmart), and a box of Washing soda was about $2.00. Then the cost of a bar of soap (depending on which one you used…I use Ivory). I use a recipe that fills up a 5 gallon pail, so I purchased a new pail and lid…that was just under $5. That was it! The upfront cost is MAYBE what you would pay for a jug of regular detergent, but will last close to 6 months (for just one batch!!!). I then have all the supplies to last for many more years of laundry detergent making!
I think you’ve convinced me to try this. I have been considering it for a while, but this post made it sound really easy! I may be doing this very soon!
.-= Stephanie´s last blog ..Kroger Deals 1/27 – 2/2 =-.
I can’t believe you just posted this. I had typed this up and scheduled it for posting tomorrow. A lady in one of my classes at school wrote it down for me a few weeks ago. I thought it would be a great ideal to put it on my site to share. Glad to read you comments that others have used it also and like it. My friends mother taught her how to make it years ago and she swears by it. I haven’t tried it yet but have used Fels Naptha soap on stains that were hard to get out just wet it a little and rub the bar on it. It works like a charm for tough stains.
Just thought it was funny that you had this at the same time I was thinking about it. Great job!
Beta
@Beta at FrugalistaCafe.com, Oh how funny!! Feel free to come back and leave a link here in the comments to your post about it!
Great reading all the comments here!
@Beta at FrugalistaCafe.com- I have a friend that leaves a bar of Fels Naptha in a cup of water beside her washer. When she has grimy kids clothes, she just wipes the gooey bar of Fels Naptha all over the stain. She says it works nearly every time.
.-= Nichol´s last blog ..Jakin’s Birthday Cake… =-.
uh, misspelled my name up there……lol!
.-= Nichola´s last blog ..Jakin’s Birthday Cake… =-.
I have been making a larger version of this same laundry soap for about a year and a half. This soap is soooo cheap! It is amazing for my husbands greasy clothes and at the same time is gentle enough for everything else. The cost is the best part. I have six kids at home and we go through alot of laundry soap. Instead of the essential oil I add some inexpensive lavendar scented liquid fabric softner and it works well. I got my recipe from Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s book and I believe it makes like 10 gallons and then you dilute it with water everytime you fill up your recycled laundry soap container.
Do you know if this will work in an HE machine? They are supposed to use low sudsing detergents.
Well I have been using homemade laundry soap for almost 3 years now and I love it I have 4 boys from 12-18mon so it is very good on stains but soft on skin.I have a HE washer and dryer and it works fine. I dont add oils though I find the deals on laundry soap like at my Brookshire Brothers a couple months back they had the smaller Gain Joyful laundry soap for 3 dollers -$1.00 coupon it cost $2.00 and I add 1 cap full in each batch and a batch last me 1 month with 6 people and 2 faithfull bed wetters so 1 bottle might last me around 9mon-1 yr if not longer and mine smells just like the store bought stuff and is SO CHEAP you might have to buy a box of washing soda and borax 2 times a year or if you have a small family 1 time. So worth a try I got my containier for tidy cats little
hope everyone gives it a try.
litter*
Oh that’s a really great idea for those who want the smell of reg. store-bought detergent without the price! Thanks for sharing!
I was just googling a liquid laundry soap recipe today. I decided that I wanted to try to make my own. I have wanted to do it for a while and just haven’t. After reading this…I’m sold. I’m going shopping this weekend!!! I can’t wait to wash ALL the bedding in the house!!!
Yay!! It really is so much easier than I thought it would be when I first heard about making your own laundry soap. Actually, most of the “make your own” things are easier than I thought they would be!
I love to reduce, reuse, and repurpose anything I can get my hands one. I am interested in making my own soap. But, have a concern. Does the liquid laundry soap leave white residue on black clothes. We have black work pants and I have had that problem in the past. Mainly from powder detergent and fabric softener sheets. Now use liquid detergent and liquid softner. I only use cold water. They are getting expensive to use. I cring everytime I go to the store.
I just made my first batch today during lunch.. and I am wondering, is it supposed to kind of re-solidify or is it supposed to remain watery?? mine is re-solidifying..
I have really sensitive skin and usualy use the kinds that are free of dyes and perfumes. Would this type of laundry sopa work ok for me? Would I just need to use a bath soap like Dove as the basic soap? Just wondering! Thanks