Wednesday, June 17, 2009

DIY Laundry Soap

Yeah, I know, this isn't food. But I felt it was relavent since part of this blog is dedicated to saving money.

I originally got this 'recipe' from The Family Homestead. I've been using it for almost four months and I have to say I'm impressed with how clean my clothes come out.

First, we have our cast of characters.

You will need:
A large-ish size pot.
1/2 c. Arm & Hammer Washing Soda.
1/2 c. Borax
1 bar soap.
A 2 gallon bucket.
Lots of water!

It doesn’t matter what kind of soap you use, depends on what scent you want. I had ivory on hand, so I’m using it.



Grate up your bar of soap. Don’t worry about your cheese grater, it will be fine <3

In the pot, put 6 cups of water and bring it to a boil, add the soap. Stir until melted.


Once melted, add the washing soda and borax, stir until well mixed.

CAUTION! Don’t leave this unattended! It can boil over very easily if you don’t keep stirring.


Once it’s all nice and blended, go to your bucket. Put 4 cups of hot water in it. Add your soap mixture and mix well.


Now, add 1 gallon and 6 cups of water to the bucket. You should have 2
gallons now. Mix well.

Put the lid on your bucket and let it sit for 24 hours before using.



When you open it back up the next day, it should have a slimy, chunky, rather sudsy look to it. Stir it well before using and make sure to get the stuff off the bottom.

For your average load, use 1/4th cup.



Once you’ve done your first load you’ll find out whether you need to add more or less soap or any of the other ingrediants.
I find that with this soap my clothes smell and feel cleaner and don’t have a ‘perfumed’ feel that I get from commercial soaps.

Well, there you have it! Hopefully I’ve inspired you all to make your own laundry soap and save a ridiculous amount of money. There are many other uses for Borax, such as using it as dish washing detergent, or keeping bugs away. (:

you can find more information and the calculations on how much this soap costs you per load at: http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/laundrysoap.htm

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