Homemade Laundry Soap

Homemade Laundry Detergent
I felt pretty handy. I was trying to think of a way to buy and store a year's worth of laundry soap. Brian is allergic to all the cheaper brands so it would be kind of expensive to buy all of that Tide. Well, I found a recipe to make it and I did it. It was actually super fun. Next time I will have the kids help me. I have been using it for about two weeks and it works great and is SUPER DUPER cheap. I have been using it for about a year and I haven't noticed a change in how clean the clothes are. The great thing is that it is super compact (two smallish boxes and a bar of soap--I use Fels Naptha).

Here's the recipe and the link. http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/09/making-your-own-laundry-detergent-a-detailed-visual-guide/

Making the Laundry Detergent
The only ingredients you actually need for homemade laundry detergent are as follows:

The ingredients

1 cup washing soda (I use Arm & Hammer)
1/2 cup borax (I use 20 Mule Team)
1 bar soap (I use Fels Naptha which is a little more expensive)
Approximately 3 gallons water

(For all the instructions, go to the link above. After it is finished, it is lumpy and watery. I used a hand mixer to break up all the chunks and make it more uniform. As it sits there, it separates a little, but you can just shake it up and it will be fine). I put mine in old liquid laundry containers and an old vinegar bottle (gallon and a half size). I use about 1/2 cup per load. I just shake it up before I pour it out.


I will be ordering the ingredients for this, so you can sign up to get some through your ward rep. I will bring the ingredients to the next Stake Meeting.
For my whites, I still use bleach and a white booster (Oxyclean or something like that)