Sunday Savings...Homemade Laundry Soap

HOMEMADE LAUNDRY SOAP

This is something I tried about a year ago and have used since. It's easy to make and saves a great deal of money. Another benefit is that all the ingredients are very mild and gentle on the skin.

Having kiddos with sensitive skin makes it difficult to find laundry soap that does not irritate their skin.

So I found this recipe online (not sure where) and now I am sharing it with you.

Items Needed

*5 gallon bucket  ($5-6 at grocery store in paint dept or at a hardware store)

*Large cooking pot   (I found mine at a thrift store for $1.00)

*Cheese grater   (I also found this at the thrift store for $1.50)

*Arm & Hammer Washing Soda  ($3.50 for 55oz box at grocery store)

*20 Mule Team Borax  ($3.50 for 55 oz box at grocery store)

(borax box pictured is larger and was $5.00)

*Fels-Napatha Bar Soap ($ 0.97/bar at grocery store)

You can also use Dove or Ivory bar soap.

Bar soap without all the color and perfumes are the best for your skin.

*Wooden spoon or what ever you have to mix with

* 4 Cups of Hot Water

Now you are ready to begin.



*Grate whole bar of soap (It works best if the soap is finely grated)

A cheese grater with the little side works the best.

It also grates fingers well! But don't worry a little bit of skin won't hurt the mixture!

*While grating the soap, put the pan and water on the stove and heat until hot. (doesn't have to be boiling) 

The recipe calls for 4 cups hot water, I just fill the pan 3/4 full. 

*  Once water is hot add soap. Stir with wooden spoon until dissolved.

Make sure you scrap the bottom of the pan too!

*Once the soap is dissolved slowly add the 1 cup of washing soda. Stir with wooden spoon until dissolved.

Again scrap bottom of pan to keep mixture from sticking.

* Once washing soda is dissolved add 1/2 cup Borax. Stir until dissolved.

And again scrap bottom of pan.

When it's all dissolved the mixture will be a light yellow (if using Fels-Naptha).

*While mixture is on stove fill 5 gallon bucket half way with hot tap water.

 *Then add soap, washing soda, and borax mixture to bucket.

Stir well to mix with water.

* Add hot tap water to fill bucket. Continue to stir for a few minutes.

Then guess what?

You now have you own homemade laundry soap!  Yeah!!

Let the mixture cool for an hour,  before putting lid on!

*Let the mixture cool and set over night with the lid on.  It will not gel as some (me) were originally told.

Then in the morning, mix the laundry soap well and pour some into a smaller container.

It's much easier to use a smaller container regularly and just refill as needed from your 5 gallon bucket.

I know washing cheese graters are not always easy and when you use the small side with soap, it's not easy to get the soap all out. But I found that a little finger nail brush works great! Works on graters with cheese too!

 

I have been using this recipe for over a year and it has worked great for us. Our clothes, even the boys' clothes, are clean when washed with this soap. At times when I have some clothes, usually boys clothes, that are really bad or I just feel they need a little extra, I just add in a scoop of  Washing Soda to the load along with the cap of homemade laundry soap. And so far I have not had any problems or have ever felt like the clothes weren't clean enough.

To Use:

1/2 to cup homemade laundry soap per laundry load

Shake laundry soap container before use.

I can't tell you how may loads this recipe makes but I will tell you that it took me a year to use the entire bucket of laundry soap. Now I will tell you that I did use another laundry soap off and on throughout the year so the bucket would have gone a bit faster. But with how often and how much we used I think that using this recipe only (for a family of 5) it would easily last 8 months or so. I also occasionally would mix a container of homemade laundry soap with some of our store bought laundry soap. It all seemed to work fine, no matter which way I did it.

If you want some scent to your laundry soap you can add a few drops of scented oils (lavender works great) to the small container. We do not use oils as I am needed to keep the extra stuff off their skin.

Now the cost. How much does this cost?

Here's the run down:

**5 gallon bucket (and lid)  $6 - which is a one time purchase

**Washing Soda (55oz)  $3.50 - you only use 1 cup per bucket you make so this will go far, and it is great for a laundry booster or household cleaner 

**Borax  (55oz)  $3.50  - this too will last a long time, you only use 1/2 cup per bucket and it as well is a laundry booster and household cleaner

**Fels-Naptha Bar  $0.97

(Dove or Ivory soap are similar in price per bar)

So we have $14 dollars ($13.97) for the start up.  $14 for eight or nine sometimes more, months of laundry soap?  And your next batch may only cost you the price of the soap if you have not used all the washing soda or borax. $8 to make if you have to replace the soap, washing soda, and borax. Not bad!

It works great for sensitive skin. And believe it or not its helpful for those with asthma. Because there are no perfumes or bleach in the laundry soap mix.

Now you know how to make your own homemade laundry soap!

Save money and enjoy!