Rub-a-dub-dub, where are the suds?

Alright ladies and gentlemen… I have had an overwhelming request from friends and family for the homemade laundry soap recipe.  Since it is Friday night, and my social life is oh so exciting, I am here to pass on my knowledge to all of you.  When I first found this recipe here, I was super excited, but skeptical at the same time.  How on earth could this clean as well as the expensive stuff in the store?  But as I am learning on this journey of mine, it not always the price of something that is the most important when it comes to determining its value.  For 5 gallons of detergent (that’s right, I said 5), it will cost $.01 per load!  It’s okay, I will pause here so you can get back in your chair…  One penny to do a load of wash! That is insane to me.  But it is true.  And this detergent is fan-freaking-tastic.  My whites have never been whiter, and the clothes smell wonderful!  You put those babies up on the clothesline to dry and watch your energy bill melt away – well not literally, but you get the picture.  I have not heard a single negative thing about this soap from anyone that I know who has tried it.  My husband works construction, so his clothes are totally disgusting with caked-on mud and dirt when he gets home.  Sometimes I will sprinkle some extra Borax into the wash just to make sure it gets clean.  I haven’t tried yet, my sister-in-law added some Oxy-Clean to her detergent and said it gave it a great boost!  Either way, you have to try this. You only have pennies to lose, but you won’t be sorry about trying this great money saving idea. 

You will need:

1 bar of Fels-Naptha soap

1 cup Borax

1/2 cup washing soda

5 gallon bucket

water

First you will need to grate the bar of soap into a saucepan. Make sure you keep it away from the kids - it smells like soap, but it looks like shredded cheddar cheese!

Add 4 cups of hot water to your grated soap, and heat on med/hi heat until all the soap pieces have dissolved (about 15 - 20 minutes).  Keep an eye on it so it doesn't bubble over (haha).

Once the soap is melted, pour that mixture into your 5 gallon bucket.  Then add your Borax and Washing Soda.  If you have one, find yourself a cute little helper to stir as you fill the bucket up to the top with hot water.

Finished product!!

Your concoction will have to sit overnight.  It will start to gel and so you will have to stir it every few hours to mix it up.  If you have a lid for your bucket, you can store it in there.  I keep mine in some old detergent bottles that I saved from the recycling bin.  You will need 1/2 cup of laundry soap per load.  I usually just fill the cap up on the bottle.
 
This does not have all the fillers in it that regualr laundry soap has, so it will not suds up very much when you add it to you machine.  Don't worry though, you still have enough in there and don't need to add more!  You can feel good that you are saving money by making your own detergent, but you are also doing your part to save the planet because you no longer have to buy those plastic bottles for your detergent!!  I also have a recipe for dishwasher detergent, but I haven't tried it yet.  I will pass it along once I do and let you know how it works!