WHAT YOU NEED FOR LAUNDRY SOAP:
NOTE: I like the "Zote" best--I like the smell, the price and the fact it cleans the mess made by toddler boys. Zote comes in white and pink, only the pink is sold where I live. You can also use Fels Naptha or even regular bar body soap.
Begin by grating the bar of soap onto a clean surface.
I love the smell of freshly grated soap!
Measure out four cups of hot water from the tap.
Mix the grated soap and water in a large pot.
Using a whisk (be careful not to let it get too frothy) heat and combine the soap until it is completely melted.
Add one cup of washing soda (NOT baking soda!) and one cup of Borax (not shown).
Stir and cook gently until washing soda and Borax are dissolved.
Add hot water to a five gallon bucket.
Pour the soap mixture into the water in the bucket and stir to combine.
Fill the bucket the rest of the way up with hot water, stir well.
The bucket will be heavy and full of hot soap. Be careful! Let the soap sit for at least 24 hours. It will form a thick gel.
The easiest way to use the soap is to scoop it into a plunger style pitcher. Use the plunger to mix it up before using 1/2 cup per load.
NOTE: You may want to soap your hand and arm up well and mix the gelled soap in the bucket to avoid the water separating.
I have been making my own laundry soap for over a year and a half. I have also been making my own dishwasher soap for nearly a year. I find that they work GREAT, are fun to make, and save a ton of money. I figure I spend about $6.00 per YEAR on laundry soap and about $15 a YEAR on dishwasher soap (for a family of four). Give it a try!
Liquid Laundry Detergent Recipe
What you will need:
1 Box Borax Natural Laundry Boost (found in laundry soap aisle)
1 Box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (NOT baking soda)
1 bar laundry soap (Zote (the pink bar) works the best, but you can use two bars of Fels-Naptha instead)
Scented oil of your choice (optional)
1 Five gallon bucket
1 plunger style pitcher
1. Grate the bar of laundry soap with a cheese grater.
2. Put the grated soap in a large sauce pan with six cups of water. Heat soap and water until the soap melts. Use a wire whisk to really blend it.
3. Add one cup washing soda and one cup borax and stir until dissolved. Remove from heat.
4. Pour one gallon hot water into the five gallon bucket. Add your soap mixture and stir well. Add 3 ½ more gallons of hot water into the bucket and stir well.
5. Add scented oil now, if desired. Use about two teaspoons of oil or until it smells good to you.
6. Let the mixture stand for 24 hours. It will thicken into a dense gel.
7. Scoop some of the gelled soap into the plunger pitcher and mix it up well
8. Mix well before each use. Use ½ cup per large load. Makes 160 loads.
Dishwasher Soap
What you will need:
1 Box Borax Natural Laundry Boost (found in laundry soap aisle)
1 Box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (NOT baking soda)
Citric Acid OR Kool-Aid style lemonade (the little packets without sugar)
Kosher salt
Plastic Container
1. 1 cup borax
2. 1 cup washing soda
3. 2 Tb. citric acid or 2 packets dry lemonade mix
4. ½ cup kosher salt
5. Mix well.
6. Use one Tablespoon per dishwasher load. Makes enough for 50 loads. Please note that it will start to clump up, this is the citric acid. It will still work fine!
7. Use white vinegar as a rinse agent to prevent a cloudy residue.
