SHARED POST: DIY Laundry Soap

Homemade Laundry Soap!!

Sick of buying laundry soap?? Me too. This stuff is awesome because it is way stronger then the store bought laundry soap. You only have to use 1 Tablespoon per load. This recipe makes a huge cookie jar full of soap and is going to last a life time, well maybe not quit that long. I originally made mine in July and I still have a ton and I do at least 8 loads of laundry ever week. So I am thinking it will last me almost a year. 1 year of laundry soap for less than $20, have I got you sold yet? I love not having to buy laundry soap all the time anymore. This laundry soap also works just fine in  HE washers. Update: **I just ran out of laundry soap and it is March. So July to March that's 9 months of laundry soap for $20 bucks. I am pretty happy about that.**

Here is what you need:

1 4 lb 12 oz box Borax (2.15 kg or 76 oz) found in the detergent isle

1 4 lb box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda (1.81 kg) found in the cooking isle

1  box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda 55 oz (3 lb 7 oz) found in the detergent isle

3 bars of Fels-Naptha soap, found in the detergent isle (if you use Zote bars use 2 bars instead, Zote can be found at Home Depot)

2 small containers of Oxy Clean or store brand Oxy Clean (try to get about 3.5 lbs total (1.58 kg)) found in the detergent isle.

(this is optional, I added it into mine because I have pretty messy kids and the cleaner the better)

You should be able to find all of these items at your grocery store.

**Use 1-2 Tablespoons per load. I know that does not seem like enough but this recipe does not have fillers like the store bought detergent so you only need 1-2 Tablespoons.**

This detergent is fairly mild smelling, it is not over powering. If you love a strong scent you may have to add a fabric softener or laundry crystals to each load. You can find laundry crystals in the detergent isle.

Start out by grating your Fels-Naptha soap just like cheese. You can use a food processor or just use your hand held grater, what ever you have. Those of you with an HE washer may want to run the mix through the grater again to get an even finer mix.
**Don't worry the Fels-Naptha will dissolve in your washer even if you only use cold water like me.**

Toss all ingredients in a 5 gallon bucket lined with a garbage bag. This part makes your whole house smell great. Once everything is mixed store soap however you like. The recipe makes
about 2 gallons worth of detergent. Walmart has large glass jars in the kitchen department.

I used a jar that my sister gave me a few years ago from a little home good store. Then used my Cricut to cut out the word Laundry to put on the front of the jar. I keep it above my washing machine, I also got a little scoop that is about 1 tablespoon to keep inside. Wasn't that easy? Sure was! Enjoy your soap.

 **If you are going to copy my recipe and blog about it please add a link back to my blog. Give credit where credit is due. It would be very appreciated. Thanks:)**

**Update** I have had a lot of repeat questions so I though I would answer a few here.

-This detergent is safe for HE washers. Just make sure to great your bar soap very fine.
  The detergent should be added to the barrel instead of the dispenser.
-This detergent is safe to use on sensitive skin.
-It does not have a strong scent, you can add laundry crystals to the batch to add fragrance.
-Some of my followers have used other bar soap instead of Zote or Fels-Naptha. I have personally not tried it but from the feed back I get it sounds like any bar will work.
-Use 1-2 Tablespoons per load.
-Walmart has nice big glass jars in the kitchen department!
-This is not safe for cloth diapers because it contains baking soda which affects how the diaper is able to soak up liquid. Or so I have been told. You may want to do your own research on this.
-I am not sure if this detergent is safe for a septic tank or not. I have had plenty of comments from people who have septic tanks and they say that this detergent works just fine.
- I used my Cricut to cut out the vinyl letters for the jar. I used the Story Book font.

Disclaimer:  Please use at your own risk. 

 http://beingcreativetokeepmysanity.blogspot.com/2010/11/homemade-laundry-soap.html


MORE INFORMATION!

10 Homemade Laundry Soap Detergent Recipes:
 http://tipnut.com/10-homemade-laundry-soap-detergent-recipes/

*Suggested PINTEREST follow Board*
 http://pinterest.com/2minlaundry/homemade-laundry-detergent/


Disclaimer:  Please use at your own risk.


SUGGESTED METHOD AS WELL:

Normally I use Tide.  I like it b/c my clothes/sheets always come out clean as well as soft.  But lately at Tide costing between $10 - $12 it just seemed a little outrageous.  I am such a scatter-brain all the time I normally forget to use coupons, so DIY stuff is a better option for me.  Honestly what can they put in detergent that would make it so much better than you can make yourself.  Through Pinterest I found a great DIY recipe for Laundry Soap, that I have been using for a few weeks now and notice very little difference.  My sheets are just as fresh smelling and soft as when I used Tide.

 

Instructions

Ingredients: 

1 cup of Borax

1 cup of Washing Soda

1 bar of soap (any kind)

Hand Grater

Step 1.  In a large bowl, using the small site of the grater, grate the entire bar of soap.   I should be fairly fine

Step 2.  To the bar of soap, add the borax and the washing soda. 

Step 3: Mix thoroughly.  I stirred mine for 3 - 5 minutes. 

I put my finished soap in an old blue Atlas canning jar with a tablespoon measuring spoon.  I use between 1 - 2 scoops per load depending on how large the load is.  I let the washer fill a little then add the soap and then let it continue to fill to make sure the soap dissolves well.  It won't be sudsy but it still cleans great!

1 box of borax and 1 box of washing soda will make several loads of detergent, for less than $10.  

The finished project:

Unofficial Day 11 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge

Please comment about your favorite Laundry Soap and why you use it and then please tell me if after reading this and seeing that various pictures, if you would consider making your own or just using coupons to continue using your favorite detergent.

Next:  I'm going to blog about using the Planet Saving items to make a detergent because that's really where I want to go!  If you have a recipe for that, please post the link in your comment, thank you!  This is what I have so far to link to:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-and-environment/homemade-laundry-soap.aspx

 http://blog.cleaningproductsworld.com/products/environmentally-friendly-green-laundry-detergent-tips



Disclaimer:  Please use at your own risk.