Homemade Laundry Soap
My friend was telling me about how much she loved making homemade laundry soap, so I decided to give it a try. I searched online for recipes, and watched a couple of videos to get an idea how to do this. (most of my info comes from here, and here.) I was especially inspired when I saw how inexpensive this laundry soap turns out to be! (around .01- .03 cents per load, one conversion here.)
I really expected this to be a daunting task, and felt like I need to carve out a lot of time in order to get this done, but from start to finish it only took me about 30 minutes.
The recipe I used:
- 1/3 bar Fels Naptha or other type of soap, as listed above
- ½ cup washing soda
- ½ cup borax powder
- 1/2 oz. essential oil (optional, I used lemon)
~You will also need a small bucket, about 2 gallon size~
Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan. Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket. Now add your soap mixture and stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. You use ½ cup per load.
*If you are interested in giving it a try I suggest reading this site.
February 26th, 2009 at 10:37 am
This is so cool. I’ve been meaning to ask you about this, ever since Brody mentioned it in one of his posts.
February 26th, 2009 at 11:21 am
Yay! I always thought this was a daunting task, too. I’ve watched a couple videos on it, and it just seemed like a bit much to take on!
Now I will try it…. After finding washing soda! (where do you get yours- what type of store?)
I do make my own fabric softener and all my own cleaners though, so I guess I should start with laundry detergent, too- and an added plus how cheap it is, too!!
Thanks Kristin!
February 26th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
Larissa, I found the washing soda in our local grocery store, in the laundry aisle, it was on the very top shelf, with things like the oxy clean add ins and things like that.
Apparently if you can’t find it there are online stores that carry it, but I don’t know how much more that is.
Also, just a side note, mine is not really a gel, but is pretty watery… apparently that is ok.
February 26th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
Thanks! I’ll check there!
February 26th, 2009 at 7:13 pm
You are super-woman, Kristin! I need to take lessons. Making anything home-made (including dinner) sounds daunting to me! Years ago when I didn’t work outside the home I used to do all kinds of homemade/crafty things.
February 27th, 2009 at 2:10 am
No, I’ve never made it. I’ve thought about it. I should give it a try, it’s always nice to save money.