Laundry Soap Lesson

Before I left last Sunday evening to participate in the Minnesota Writing Project, I had to do a few things around the house.  My husband is very good at sharing most house chores, (although he never cleans the toilet...) but I always do one thing:  I make our laundry soap.

We started making our own soap about a year ago, and I think we'll continue to do so for a while.  Initially, we started doing this as a way to save money; it only costs us about 10 bucks a year for laundry soap, or maybe even less.  I think we used to spend almost that much on one jug of Tide.  Yikes. 

Now, though, it has become something fun to do with the girls.  It makes the house smell good, we get two fresh buckets of cheap, but good, soap, and it's better than detergents from the stores because there are fewer phosphates and chemicals in it.  So it's better for your skin and  for the environment.  It's also something I can do and feel good about getting done in a half an hour.  I have to get it done and there is an end result, so this pleases my OCD startsomethingnow and getitfinishednow trait.  It is rewarding and practical. 

So, here's my recipe:
Ingredients: 
Fels Naptha bar soap, washing soda (not baking soda!), and Borax.
(All of these items can be found in the laundry section at Target or Walmart or the like.) 
*You might choose to add an essential oil; I like the smell of the Fels Naptha.

You will also need:  5 gallon bucket, 2 ice cream pails (or whatever containers you prefer), a cheese grater, a spoon, a large saucepain, and a 1/2 cup measuring cup. I have also marked some lines on an old pitcher that I use to pour my various amounts of water so I know how much I'm pouring.

Directions: 
Grate 1/3 of the bar into a metal saucepan on the stove.  Add 6 cups water and heat until melted.  Add 1/2 cup washing soda and 1/2 cup Borax and stir until dissolved. 


Fels Naptha



Remove from heat.

Add 4 cups hot water into your 5 gallon bucket.  Then, add soap mixture and stir.  Finally, add 1 gallon and 6 cups more water and stir. 

Pour into your containers and let sit for 24 hours.  The soap will be gel-like and/or might have almost an egg drop soup consistency.  (It's not beautiful soap, but it works!)

Use 1/2 cup soap per load of laundry. 

Finished Product

**The Fels Naptha also works as a great pre-treater for stains, and the Borax is an awesome multipurpose cleaner.  I've used it on stains on my carpet and love it, and again, it's natural-Borax is mined from the Earth!