Homemade Laundry Detergent
Friday night I did something I had wanted to do for a while… I made my own laundry detergent. I know…I’m a wild and crazy woman!!!
I had read an article a few months ago about how people were saving money and one woman talked about making her own detergent, I looked into it then but just never got around to actually doing it. So last week I printed off a recipe and then headed to the store to pick up the ingredients, well two of them - I used a bar of soap that we had at home. It’s a very simple recipe and took about 20 minutes to “cook”, but it takes 24 hours for it to set. And I now have 2 gallons of laundry detergent for less than what I normally pay for a bottle at the store that only lasts around 2 weeks. And I have enough of the other ingredients left over to make several more batches. The web site I got the recipe from broke down the math and it comes out to $.01 to $.02 a load. To me that’s awesome, and I love the fact that I made it. :)
I did all the laundry on Saturday and everything came out very clean.
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. It’s 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.
Homemade Laundry Soap
1/3 bar Fels Naptha or other type of soap, as listed above
½ cup washing soda
½ 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 ½ cup per load.
**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 don’t see suds, that is ok. Suds are not what does the cleaning, it is the ingredients in the soap.
Also, if you have some really dirty or stained clothes you might want to throw some oxyclean in with the load to help get the stains out.
I think my next project will be learning to make my own soap. That should occupy me for a while.
I had read an article a few months ago about how people were saving money and one woman talked about making her own detergent, I looked into it then but just never got around to actually doing it. So last week I printed off a recipe and then headed to the store to pick up the ingredients, well two of them - I used a bar of soap that we had at home. It’s a very simple recipe and took about 20 minutes to “cook”, but it takes 24 hours for it to set. And I now have 2 gallons of laundry detergent for less than what I normally pay for a bottle at the store that only lasts around 2 weeks. And I have enough of the other ingredients left over to make several more batches. The web site I got the recipe from broke down the math and it comes out to $.01 to $.02 a load. To me that’s awesome, and I love the fact that I made it. :)
I did all the laundry on Saturday and everything came out very clean.
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. It’s 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.
Homemade Laundry Soap
1/3 bar Fels Naptha or other type of soap, as listed above
½ cup washing soda
½ 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 ½ cup per load.
**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 don’t see suds, that is ok. Suds are not what does the cleaning, it is the ingredients in the soap.
Also, if you have some really dirty or stained clothes you might want to throw some oxyclean in with the load to help get the stains out.
I think my next project will be learning to make my own soap. That should occupy me for a while.