A few years ago I Googled directions for making laundry detergent, made up a batch and HATED it. We didn’t like how it cleaned ( or rather didn’t clean) our clothes and so I scrapped the idea.
Several months ago, the economic climate being what it is and the fact that I had run out of our mega bucket of Charlie’s Laundry Powder
I wanted something that would be effective, inexpensive, and easy to make. I preferred to not have to buy specialized ingredients because with 9 children shopping at several different shops is unappealing and that can also drive up the cost.
There are many recipes for laundry soap out there and most are quite similar using soap, soda, and sometimes borax.
This is the recipe that works best for us because 1)it’s cheap, 2) it’s easy, 3) I always have the ingredients on hand and 4) we love how well it works.
Laundry Soap Recipe
2 gal. hot water
1 bar of soap, grated
2 c. baking soda (not washing soda)
This recipe just calls for a bar of soap. We use the same soap that we use in the shower. I’ve read that Fels-Naptha
Grate the soap. If your grater is in the dishwasher, like mine was, wash it first, unless you want cheese scented clothing.
If your children come running whenever you head to the kitchen, just dare them to try a pinch of this. It does look good enough to eat, but I’ve never had any takers.
Put the grated soap in a saucepan, cover with water and cook on low until the soap melts. Be patient, it takes a while. I don’t think that I’ve ever gotten every little bit melted completely, but take some time and get most of it melted into the water.
Now add 2 gallons of hot water into large bucket. Add the dissolved, melted soap and stir well.
Add the baking soda and stir again.
Use a half a cup on regular loads and a full cup on heavily soiled loads. That’s it!
After sitting your soap will be lumpy and gloppy, that’s normal, just stir well before use.
It is nice to have some old washed out liquid laundry containers to store your homemade laundry soap, then you can just shake and pour in to the handy measuring cup cap, but if you are cheap frugal like us, then just store in a lidded container and use a regular measuring up to stir and scoop.
Making my own laundry soap “Works for Me.” Check out all the other WFMW posts at “We are THAT Family“.For several other laundry soap and some laundry detergent recipes check out Tipnut’s list.
Be sure to read my other laundry or money saving posts or how to create a workable schedule or ideas on Bible reading for kids. Check the categories listed just under the picture at the top of the page for more practical ideas.
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