BarredBuff
El Presidente de Pollo
How do you make it? Ingredients? Website links?
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fancy
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farmboy, I thought I'd never find anyone to pass this on to but this works great.
Grate bars of Ivory soap, I use 1 bar per quart of water. heat water and grated soap over low heat until all melted. I also add borax, and baking soda 1/3 cup each into each load of wash. The amount of liquid you use depend on how dirty the clothes are and how concentrated you make your soap. I use about a cup for most loads.
Just a few words of advice: the soap will take on the consistancy of slime, so don't put it in a bottle I use a small bucket with a lid repurposed from my horses supplements).
Also don't mix the borax and baking soda with the liquid as it will form hard clot and settle to the bottom of the bucket. I learned by trial and error so trust me but we're not talking rocket science here so have fun!
Hope this helps
Grate bars of Ivory soap, I use 1 bar per quart of water. heat water and grated soap over low heat until all melted. I also add borax, and baking soda 1/3 cup each into each load of wash. The amount of liquid you use depend on how dirty the clothes are and how concentrated you make your soap. I use about a cup for most loads.
Just a few words of advice: the soap will take on the consistancy of slime, so don't put it in a bottle I use a small bucket with a lid repurposed from my horses supplements).
Also don't mix the borax and baking soda with the liquid as it will form hard clot and settle to the bottom of the bucket. I learned by trial and error so trust me but we're not talking rocket science here so have fun!
Hope this helps
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BarredBuff
El Presidente de Pollo
Thank You!! AND 
!! Please stick around!! We dont bite!!
!! Please stick around!! We dont bite!!
Mackay
Almost Self-Reliant
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For the new folks... many of us use this:
Posting this again. I'm on my third batch and I love it. One gallon makes 32 loads.
Laundry Soap
By Crystal Miller
Making your own laundry soap is very easy! No longer do you need to rely on store bought detergents. With a few ingredients on hand you will be able to make batch after batch of laundry soap. The cost savings by doing this is incredible!
~If after reading through this you have a question PLEASE read the "Questions Answered" at the bottom of this page. I am no longer able to answer questions about the laundry soap via email. Thank you! Crystal
What Ingredients Do You Need?
You will need 3 basic ingredients; a soap of some sort, washing soda and borax.
The Soap: The most typical type of soap to use is Fels Naptha. It is an old-fashioned type of soap usually found in the laundry aisle. The other options for soap are Ivory or another brand called, Zote. Any of these will work. I use my own homemade soap and find it works quite well and I do have this for sale in my Country Store. If you use Ivory or your own homemade soap you will need to use the whole bar.
Washing Soda: This is not to be confused with baking soda. They are not the same thing. Washing soda is sodium carbonate or soda ash (baking soda is sodium bicarbonate). It is a white powder. Its purpose is to help remove dirt and orders. The brand to look for is Arm & Hammer Washing Soda. I find it in the laundry section of my grocery store. Many people have a hard time finding this locally. I know you can purchase it on-line, even through Amazon.com. I would also suggest asking your grocery store manager if it would be possible for the store to get it for you.
Borax: Borax is a naturally occurring mineral: Sodium Borate. It is a white powder. Its purpose is as a laundry whitener and deodorizer. The brand to look for is 20 Mule Team. It comes in a 76 oz. box. You should be able to locate this in the laundry detergent aisle. Again as with the washing soda, if you cannot find it ask you store manager or look online.
The Recipe
Now that you have assembled all the needed ingredients here is the recipe:
Homemade Laundry Soap
1/3 bar Fels Naptha or other type of soap, as listed above
cup washing soda
cup borax powder
~You will also need a small bucket, about 2 gallon size~
Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan. Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket. Now add your soap mixture and stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. You use cup per load.
Use a large spoon to break up clots. Then take a whisk to it. Pour into 2 one gallon plastic water jugs.
A few times I found that I was about 3 or 4 cups short of the 2 gallons the recipe makes. I just topped it off with hot water after I had filled the gallon jugs and it works just fine.
**A few things to note about the soap**
~The finished soap will not be a solid gel. It will be more of a watery gel that has been accurately described as an "egg noodle soup" look.
~The soap is a low sudsing soap. So if you dont see suds, that is ok. Suds are not what does the cleaning, it is the ingredients in the soap.
Optional: If you want your soap to have some sort of scent you can scent this with to 1 oz. of essential oil or fragrance oil of your choice. My favorite scent is orange essential oil.
But is it Really Less Expensive?
Is the laundry detergent a cost saver? How do the numbers on this add up? Well I am a person who likes to know what I am spending and if my efforts save me in one way or another. This is one of the areas that I wanted to know if I was actually saving money. We do a lot of laundry and I make double batches of this soap and knowing that the time spent doing this was a savings for my family was important to me.
Here are my calculations:
The cost of making the above recipe of laundry soap was .71 cents. That was amazing to me! With this 2 gallon size recipe you will have enough to do 64 loads of laundry. That translates to about .01 cent a load.
How Did I Figure This Out?
Here is the breakdown of my costs and how I came up with those numbers (I am using the prices I paid for these items and you may find your price varies some based on what you pay):
Fels Naptha: $1.12 for a 5.5 oz bar. The recipes says use a 1/3 of a bar. I calculated 2 oz. just to make the math a little easier. The cost of the Fels Naptha per batch is: .40 cents
Washing Soda: $2.23 for a 55 oz. box. This came to .17 cents per batch. I calculated how much per oz (2.23 divided by 55) and then weighed a half cup of washing soda (4.2oz.) and multiplied my per oz. price by 4.2
Borax: $3.27 for a 76 oz. box. This came to .14 cents per batch. Did the same calculations as above, however a 1/2 cup of borax weighs 3.5 oz.
For the final numbers I have .40 + .17 + .14 = .71 for 2 gallons of laundry detergent
Two gallons translates to 64- 1/2 cup portions and .71 divided by 64 = .01109, etc... or about .01 cent a load!
Posting this again. I'm on my third batch and I love it. One gallon makes 32 loads.
Laundry Soap
By Crystal Miller
Making your own laundry soap is very easy! No longer do you need to rely on store bought detergents. With a few ingredients on hand you will be able to make batch after batch of laundry soap. The cost savings by doing this is incredible!
~If after reading through this you have a question PLEASE read the "Questions Answered" at the bottom of this page. I am no longer able to answer questions about the laundry soap via email. Thank you! Crystal
What Ingredients Do You Need?
You will need 3 basic ingredients; a soap of some sort, washing soda and borax.
The Soap: The most typical type of soap to use is Fels Naptha. It is an old-fashioned type of soap usually found in the laundry aisle. The other options for soap are Ivory or another brand called, Zote. Any of these will work. I use my own homemade soap and find it works quite well and I do have this for sale in my Country Store. If you use Ivory or your own homemade soap you will need to use the whole bar.
Washing Soda: This is not to be confused with baking soda. They are not the same thing. Washing soda is sodium carbonate or soda ash (baking soda is sodium bicarbonate). It is a white powder. Its purpose is to help remove dirt and orders. The brand to look for is Arm & Hammer Washing Soda. I find it in the laundry section of my grocery store. Many people have a hard time finding this locally. I know you can purchase it on-line, even through Amazon.com. I would also suggest asking your grocery store manager if it would be possible for the store to get it for you.
Borax: Borax is a naturally occurring mineral: Sodium Borate. It is a white powder. Its purpose is as a laundry whitener and deodorizer. The brand to look for is 20 Mule Team. It comes in a 76 oz. box. You should be able to locate this in the laundry detergent aisle. Again as with the washing soda, if you cannot find it ask you store manager or look online.
The Recipe
Now that you have assembled all the needed ingredients here is the recipe:
Homemade Laundry Soap
1/3 bar Fels Naptha or other type of soap, as listed above
cup washing soda
cup borax powder
~You will also need a small bucket, about 2 gallon size~
Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan. Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket. Now add your soap mixture and stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. You use cup per load.
Use a large spoon to break up clots. Then take a whisk to it. Pour into 2 one gallon plastic water jugs.
A few times I found that I was about 3 or 4 cups short of the 2 gallons the recipe makes. I just topped it off with hot water after I had filled the gallon jugs and it works just fine.
**A few things to note about the soap**
~The finished soap will not be a solid gel. It will be more of a watery gel that has been accurately described as an "egg noodle soup" look.
~The soap is a low sudsing soap. So if you dont see suds, that is ok. Suds are not what does the cleaning, it is the ingredients in the soap.
Optional: If you want your soap to have some sort of scent you can scent this with to 1 oz. of essential oil or fragrance oil of your choice. My favorite scent is orange essential oil.
But is it Really Less Expensive?
Is the laundry detergent a cost saver? How do the numbers on this add up? Well I am a person who likes to know what I am spending and if my efforts save me in one way or another. This is one of the areas that I wanted to know if I was actually saving money. We do a lot of laundry and I make double batches of this soap and knowing that the time spent doing this was a savings for my family was important to me.
Here are my calculations:
The cost of making the above recipe of laundry soap was .71 cents. That was amazing to me! With this 2 gallon size recipe you will have enough to do 64 loads of laundry. That translates to about .01 cent a load.
How Did I Figure This Out?
Here is the breakdown of my costs and how I came up with those numbers (I am using the prices I paid for these items and you may find your price varies some based on what you pay):
Fels Naptha: $1.12 for a 5.5 oz bar. The recipes says use a 1/3 of a bar. I calculated 2 oz. just to make the math a little easier. The cost of the Fels Naptha per batch is: .40 cents
Washing Soda: $2.23 for a 55 oz. box. This came to .17 cents per batch. I calculated how much per oz (2.23 divided by 55) and then weighed a half cup of washing soda (4.2oz.) and multiplied my per oz. price by 4.2
Borax: $3.27 for a 76 oz. box. This came to .14 cents per batch. Did the same calculations as above, however a 1/2 cup of borax weighs 3.5 oz.
For the final numbers I have .40 + .17 + .14 = .71 for 2 gallons of laundry detergent
Two gallons translates to 64- 1/2 cup portions and .71 divided by 64 = .01109, etc... or about .01 cent a load!
fancy
Power Conserver
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Yikes, sorry, I did mean to say washing soda.
I guess I do too much baking and not enough laundry!!!!!!!!!!
so sorry farmboy!
But I do prefer to leave the dry ingredients separate, just add to the washer.
I guess I do too much baking and not enough laundry!!!!!!!!!!
so sorry farmboy!
But I do prefer to leave the dry ingredients separate, just add to the washer.
Beekissed
Mountain Sage
Just a little note to make it a little easier....you can make your soap mix in just 6 cups of water, divide the finished concentrate straight into your gal. jugs(skip the whole bucket step), add water, shake well and let set for 24 hours.
Shake well before using.
I used liquid detergent jugs, as their caps are made for measuring and the plastic is durable....and made for holding liquid detergent!
Shake well before using.
I used liquid detergent jugs, as their caps are made for measuring and the plastic is durable....and made for holding liquid detergent!
glenolam
Lovin' The Homestead
I'm going to resurrect this as we are out of Purex and I'm really thinking we should be making our own detergent.
I know many of you out here make your own - is this the recipe you follow?
Do any of you use soap you make instead of Fels Naptha or Ivory? Such as goat milk soap? I think I have some laying around....
I know many of you out here make your own - is this the recipe you follow?
Do any of you use soap you make instead of Fels Naptha or Ivory? Such as goat milk soap? I think I have some laying around....
freemotion
Food Guru
I've made it with both goat's milk soap and fels naptha, and I stick with the fels. It is a detergent bar instead of a soap, and although soap is better for you and your skin and the septic system, I find that it does not get my clothes clean enough.
Goat's milk soap is moisturizing because it is super-fatted, not something that is good in the laundry, unless you have a severely allergic member of your family. In that case, I'd be inclined to make an under-fatted (? over-lyed?
) batch, without the goat's milk, just for the purpose of making laundry soap.
Just a word....I don't like the way my whites come out with the homemade laundry soap, so I use bleach in those loads or use a commercial laundry soap just for those loads. Our great-grandmother's used bluing. I haven't tried that yet, though. I wonder if you can still get bluing?
Goat's milk soap is moisturizing because it is super-fatted, not something that is good in the laundry, unless you have a severely allergic member of your family. In that case, I'd be inclined to make an under-fatted (? over-lyed?
) batch, without the goat's milk, just for the purpose of making laundry soap.Just a word....I don't like the way my whites come out with the homemade laundry soap, so I use bleach in those loads or use a commercial laundry soap just for those loads. Our great-grandmother's used bluing. I haven't tried that yet, though. I wonder if you can still get bluing?
glenolam
Lovin' The Homestead
Let's just start by saying I don't do laundry. 
I do, but since I do just about everything else in the house I refuse to do laundry on a daily basis so Big G usually gets fed up and does it. Now, he doesn't fold at all, so the laundry ends up in the spare room until one weekend morning when I loose it and make him help me in a folding-fest.
That said, we...I mean he...only goes as far as separating colors from non colors if you catch my drift. He usually goes one step further and separates his work clothes from all other ones.
I do have bleach on hand for other cleaning projects so I'll keep that in mind when I...I mean he...does whites.
I do, but since I do just about everything else in the house I refuse to do laundry on a daily basis so Big G usually gets fed up and does it. Now, he doesn't fold at all, so the laundry ends up in the spare room until one weekend morning when I loose it and make him help me in a folding-fest.
That said, we...I mean he...only goes as far as separating colors from non colors if you catch my drift. He usually goes one step further and separates his work clothes from all other ones.
I do have bleach on hand for other cleaning projects so I'll keep that in mind when I...I mean he...does whites.
miss_thenorth
Frugal Homesteader
I've looked for bluing--havne't been able to find any. I have been using homemade laundry soap for about 4 years now, and my whites are dingy. I have tried doing a long soak in bleach water before washing, and it did not do a darn thing. Is there any product out there that I can use as a presoak for my whites? any reccomendations?
