How to Make Laundry Soap

Laundry Day Nicho by Retablos

One day while watching 17 Kids and Counting the family did an episode on how they cut back on expenses. One of the ways they save money is by making their own laundry soap. I did a quick Google search and came across a very helpful site with a variety of recipes to try. They offer both the liquid as well as the powder recipes. I prefer liquid soap so here is a tutorial on how to make liquid laundry soap, which is recipe #1 on the site.

List of ingredients and tools:

*1 bar of natural handmade soap - preferably unscented

*Box of Borax (Laundry area of any store)

*Box of Washing Soda (Can be difficult to find, I found mine at Woodman's here in WI, also in laundry area)

*10 gallon bucket with a lid (I found mine at Home Depot)

*Long wooden spoon

*Cheese grater

*Large measuring cup

Altogether I spent $20 on the bucket, bar of soap, borax and washing soda. With the exception of the bar soap, these materials will make a few batches.

Begin by measuring 4 cups of water and pouring it into a pot. Bring to a boil.

Grate the bar of soap which should come out to 2 cups.

Pour the soap into the boiling water and stir until it has completely melted.

Pour the hot, soapy water into the bucket. Add 1 cup of Borax and 1 cup Washing Soda. Stir until dissolved.

Lastly, add 2 gallons (or 32 cups) of warm water into the bucket and stir.

If you want to add a scent to the soap add 10-15 drops of essential oil after you've added the 2 gallons of water. Be sure to get real essential oils, such as from a natural foods store. Oils used for diffusers and air fresheners are made with synthetic chemicals that could cause an allergic reaction.

When you are done fill an empty laundry soap container and shake before every use. Be sure to stir the bucket before refilling the container. Store soap with the lid secured air tight. Use 1/4 cup of soap per load.

Not only is it super easy to make your own soap, it also saves a ton of money. Plus it's safe to use on baby diapers and in high efficiency washers. Since it is very low sudsing it will make the water look dark, but it is working.

An off topic tip about the Borax; if you have a plexiglass shower or tub and you get that nasty yellowing at the bottom, sprinkle some borax and scrub with a sponge. It works wonders on removing the yellowing.