Laundry Soap Recipe

So I finally got around to using the last of our laundry detergent and got ready to start the homemade stuff. This was seriously easy to make, seriously cheap, and will last us a seriously long time!

You start with these:

1/3 bar Fels Naptha soap, grated
1/2 cup washing soda
1/2 cup Borax
2 gallon bucket for mixing
(I found the borax and washing soda in the laundry aisle at Walmart and each was about $2 for a 4lb. box. The Fels Naptha soap I found at a Buy Low Market and it was $1 or $2.)

• Grate the soap bar with a regular cheese grater (it's kind of fun). You only need 1/3 of it for the first batch, so I saved the other 2/3 in a plastic bag.

• Heat 6 cups of water in a large pot. I heated it until it was almost boiling. Add the grated soap and stir until melted.

• Then quickly add the borax and washing soda. Note: The moment I added the soda, the mixture began to create suds. A LOT of suds! Plan to have the bucket near, so you can stir the powder into the boiling water for just a few seconds and immediately pour it into the bucket so it doesn't foam over the pot.

• Add an additional 2 cups of hot water to the bucket and soap mixture and stir. Fill bucket to 3 inches from the top with cold water and let sit overnight.

When it has set overnight, the detergent should look kind of yellowy and cloudy like Egg Drop Soup. Shake the soap before each use. This batch filled up about 1 and a half empty laundry detergent containers and should last us about 2 months. Imagine what savings that adds up to, considering I won't need more borax or washing soda for a year!

Also, I thought I would want to add some kind of essential oil to make it smell better, but honestly, it smells fine as is - just like soap. Plus, dryer sheets are what really give your laundry that flower-y, fresh smell. I think this "recipe" was a winner!