Make Your Own Laundry Soap
Supplies:
Bar of soap
Water
Borax
Washing soda
Cheese grater
Large pot
Wooden spoon
Funnel
Gallon jugs
Many things that are sold at the store are easy enough to make at home. What we really pay for is the convenience – the fact that someone else made it for us. But if you don’t mind making something yourself you’ll often be shocked at just how much you can save. For example, did you know that you can do over 500 loads of laundry for under 10 bucks? When you make the detergent yourself, you’ll spend a little bit of time, but you’ll save a whole lot of money.
When you make laundry soap once, you’ll see how much you save, and you’ll want to make it every time you need more. For that reason, keep a collection of the things that you’ll need and use those things only for making the laundry detergent; pots and such won’t get mixed up with the ones that you use for cooking.
Use a cheese grater to grate a regular bar of soap. The soap can be any kind/color. For detergent used on baby clothing, use Ivory, or another gentle soap. Grate the entire bar and put the pieces into a large pot. Pour a gallon of water over the soap and set it on a burner. Cook and stir until the mixture is all liquid, and there are no soap pieces left.
Add a cup of borax and a cup of washing soda to the mix. The borax is sold alongside laundry soap. Sometimes the washing soda is in the same area but it’s often a little more challenging to find. Look for it at a large home improvement store or order it online. Bring the mix to a boil, stirring with a wooden spoon, until coagulation begins. Remove from heat, add a gallon of cold water, and stir well.
Use a large funnel to pour the soap into old laundry detergent bottles or into clean milk jugs. Use a half-cup for each regular size load of laundry. You’ll notice that the water won’t be sudsy when you use the homemade laundry soap. That’s okay; you don’t need suds to get clothes clean. If you feel you must have suds, though, add a drop or two of dish detergent to the washer. You’ll be shocked at how clean your laundry is and you’ll save enough to buy even more clothes.
