I was out of laundry soap and I have decided it was time to find a good recipe to make myself. Most recipes call for ingredients you already have in your house, and they are healthy and without harsh chemicals. The recipe I made didn’t take long and there was plenty to last quite a while.
The first step is researching to find one that is doable. You have the option of making a powdered formula or liquid. I opted for a liquid option because I feel that it mixes in quicker than a powdered cleaner. The recipe below I decided to make a half batch because I wanted to try it out before I make too much. I have already washed 3 loads with it and I am very pleased.
Liquid Detergent
1 quart water (boiling)
2 cups bar soap (grated)
2 cups borax
2 cups washing soda
1. Add finely grated bar soap to the boiling water and stir until soap is melted. You can keep on low heat until soap is melted.
2. Pour the soap water into a large, clean pail and add the borax and washing soda. Stir well until all is dissolved.
3. Add 2 gallons of water, stir until well mixed.
4. Cover pail and use 1/4 cup for each load of laundry. Once it’s cool, add 5 – 7 drops of your favorite essential oil per gallon. Stir the soap each time you use it (it will gel).
It took me a while to find the washing soda. I would have thought Target or Walmart would carry it, but I ended up finding it at a grocery store in the bleach aisle. For the soap I wanted to go with a selection that was healthy so I picked Dr Bonner’s lavender castile soap. Every time I open the laundry soap to use I can smell the lovely scent of lavender. Please leave me your stories of making homemade laundry soap you love.
Glad you’re getting on well with this. Just out of interest, do you have hard or soft water? Our water is very hard so some of the more ‘natural’ cleaning products don’t work especially well.
Soft water. The finished product looks pretty interesting.
How long did it take to grate the soap?
5 minutes maybe. I actually had bought 4 bars of soap, for a full batch but only ended up using a half bar for a half batch.
What was the recipe you found for the powdered version? I’d love to try that out! Do you know if you can use these soaps in front loading washers that require HE soaps?
Kari: here is the website for the recipes; both powdered and liquid.
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/make-your-own-laundry-soap.html
I am not sure about front loading washers and HE soaps. I have heard people talk about issues with that, but I never really understood. I have a really REALLY old washer that will use any laundry detergent. What does HE stand for? Maybe this would be a good topic for a whole week.
Thanks Ashley! HE stands for High Efficency. I THINK the premise behind it is that since front loading washers use less water, they also need to have less suds or a residue will be left on your clothes and in the washer. So basically the HE soap doesn’t suds up as much. I’m not totally convinced that I need to buy the HE soaps though. I wonder if just using 1/2 the amount of a regular soap would be just as good? Anyway – thanks for the link. I think I might just try it and see what happens.
Thanks for the info Kari! I wish you luck in finding the best soap that works for you! ;D