Monday, January 17, 2011

Homemade Laundry Soap

Good morning! As Mondays are my scheduled wash day I thought this would be a good post for today.
I got this laundry soap recipe from Sue at Peartree Lane Farmhouse. I could not find her post on it when it came time to make mine up so I emailed her and she graciously sent me the recipe. Thanks, Sue!






My ingredients boxes look a little shabby (...ok, aLOT shabby) but thats because my jug of distilled water for my iron had a pinhole leak and it caused dampness in the sodas.






Anyway, I grated up my 3 bars of Fels Naphta soap and then...



ran it through my blender on the pulse/grate speed.






In the bucket I carefully mixed (being careful not to breathe it in as it creates quite a fine dust as you stir) 4# box of Arm and Hammer soda, 3# 7oz box of Washing soda and 4# borax. After that is combined, I added the blender grated soap and mixed it in.






I keep mine in a 2-gal bucket.






2 of these scoops = 1/4 cup.




I put the soap into a 2-cup measure and run hot water into it to disolve (mostly) and add it to the washer, then pile in my laundry. I have had very good results with this and it saves at about of what commercial laundry soap would cost, of course depending on the brand you buy.


This recipe made 24 cups of soap powder. I use about 1/4 cup for a large load, which means I can wash 96 loads of laundry.and at an average of 4 loads per week, it will last me 24 weeks or half a year.

8 comments:

Jen said...

Nice post... I make my own laundry soap too. I make a liquid one. I use all the same stuff you used :)

Susan said...

I have made both the liquid and the dry recipe for this soap. I prefer the dry recipe. It is great.

floweringmama said...

Wow. I've never made or tried homemade laundry soap, but then I am STUCK on the gain / downy scent!

Becky's Barnyard said...

So, why do you make you own soap? Is it for economy or better soap? See, I'm thinking another self inflicted wound for me. Who knows I might like it.

Sunny said...

Becky, thanks for visiting my blog. As to your questions, I make my own soap for both reasons. Economy is always a factor at our house, and I am glad to be able to use a great working product without so many chemicals as the commercial brands, especially since I have developed itchy skin problems the last couple years.

Sunny said...

Jennifer, where do you buy your soap ingredients? I had to send awayfor the washing soda last time.

Eggs In My Pocket said...

Hi Sunny! I have seen different postings off and on about making detergent and always think that I will make some soon. Still have not yet! You have made it look easy to make........maybe I will try! Blessings,Kathleen

WhatIfWeAllCared? said...

Hi! I make my own, too, but I make the liquid kind. The ingredients I use are: 3/4 c Borax, 1/2 bar pink Zote, 3 c baking soda. If I have accumulated a lot of slivers of bath soap bars, I use those up before I start on the Zote. Sometimes I add a bit of any shampoo we may have tried and didn't like as it acts as a thickener.