Homemade Laundry Soap
Tips for Laundry Soap: We use Fels-Naptha bar soap in the homemade soap recipes, but you can use Ivory, Sunlight, Kirk’s Hardwater Castile or Zote bars. Don’t use heavily perfumed soaps. We buy Fels-Naptha by the case from our local grocer or on line. Washing Soda and Borax can normally be found on the laundry or cleaning aisle. Recipe cost approx. $2.
(I bought mine at Winco: Fels-Naptha was $1.12 a bar, Wash soda 3#7oz $3.14, Borax 4# 12oz $3.78)
Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or Top load machine- best value
4 cups hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 cup washing Soda
½ cup Borax
-Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. (do not use an aluminum pot) stir continually over med-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted. (I used Med heat, I got tired of waiting!)
- fill a 5 gallon bucket 1/2 full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to the top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.
-Stir and fill a used, clean laundry soap dispenser ½ full with soap and then fill the rest of the way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel) (I skipped this step and left it in my bucket and just put ½ of this concentrated amount in my washer as recommended below)
-Optional: you can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled.
Ideas, lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.
Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons (I left mine as 5 gallons of concentrate)
Top load Machine- 5/8 cup per load (Approx 180 loads)
Front load Machine- ¼ cup per load (Approx. 640 loads!) (I only use 1/8 cup as I didn’t further dilute it)
Powdered Laundry Detergent- Top load machines
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 cup washing Soda
½ cup Borax
Grate soap or break into pieces and process in a food blender until powdered. Mix all ingredients. For a light load use 1 tablespoon. For heavy or heavily soiled load use 2 tablespoons
Yields: 3 cups detergent. (Approx. 40 loads)
Inexpensive Fabric Softener Recipes
Recipe#1
1 cup White Vinegar
Add vinegar to rinse cycle. Works great Removes residue and odors. Also help to keep washing machine and hoses fresh and clean too.
Recipe #2
1 Container of Name Brand Fabric Softener
4 inexpensive sponges cut in half
Pour entire container of softener into a 5 gallon bucket. Fill, now empty softener container, with water twice. (2 parts water to 1 part softener) Add sponges to mixture. When ready to use, wring out extra mixture from one sponge and add to the dryer as you would a dryer sheet.
Contributor: Ann A.
