Monday’s Guests – Homemade Laundry Soap

This week we’ve got a fantastic post from Bailey Cole about how to make your own laundry soap. It will save you a TON of money compared to using the store bought detergents and of course it’s lacking all of those toxic chemicals that modern laundry soap contains.

I have been making my own laundry soap for a little over a year. I had been using a dry recipe that used 1:1:1 ratio of soap, borax, and washing soda- which was fine but made me run through the ingredients quickly. I did some online research and found a recipe I liked and adapted it a bit here and there. This recipe uses much less borax and washing soda.

Finding washing soda has proved to be the hardest part of this process. I still have not found a store in my town that carries it. It is made my Arm and Hammer and can be found on Amazon at twice the price in stores+ shipping! I imagine that Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s would carry it. Tractor supply or general stores also keep it on their shelves.

This soap doesn’t lather much. Don’t freak out, because lather isn’t what gets your clothes (or your body, for that matter) clean. You just need about 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup for a load of laundry.  Also, it will be a kind of jelly sort of consistency. This is normal. Just stir it before you use it as it has a tendency to settle in the bucket.  My first batch turned out more like soap Jell-o. It still works!  This whole process takes a mere 15 min.
 

Homemade Laundry Soap Recipe
You Need:
* 2 Gallons of Water
* 1 300g (10oz) of soap- (I use Lush– it smells so yummy and is handmade, natural, and they carry Vegan Products)
* 1/2 cup Borax (found in the laundry aisle at the grocery store)
* 1/2 cup washing soda (not baking soda! This is the hardest ingredient to find. Try tractor or farm supply stores, Amazon has it but it is way too expensive. )
* A really big container with a lid (it has to be big enough to hold at least two gallons of water. I use a large Tupperware style container I had around the house. A kitty litter plastic box would work.  I like to keep the bulk of it in the box and fill up an empty detergent bottle with what I will use.)
* A grater
* A big pot

What To Do:
1. Grate your soap and put it in the pot. Cover soap with 6 cups of water and heat on medium heat until the soap melts into the water, stirring occasionally. This will take less than ten minutes.
2. Add the borax and washing soda, and stir to dissolve. Remove from heat.
3. Pour 4 cups of hot water into your bucket or container or whatever you’re using to store your soap. Add the soap mixture, and stir. Add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water, and stir again.
4. Let it sit overnight or at least 6 hours, and it’s ready to use.