Homemade laundry soap?

[metro]

Does anyone on here make their own laundry soap? My wife and I are going to attempt it tonight and wondered if anyone had any tips or tricks? It is MUCH cheaper, greener, and supposively cleans better as well.

[rcjunkie]

Does anyone on here make their own laundry soap? My wife and I are going to attempt it tonight and wondered if anyone had any tips or tricks? It is MUCH cheaper, greener, and supposively cleans better as well.

I'll try to get a hold of my daughter, she makes her own laundry soap, dish washing soap, bathing soap, fabric softener, the list goes on and on.

[OKCDrummer77]

My wife does. Here is her recipe:

You will need:
1 bar soap (I used 1/3 of a bar of Fels Naptha, because it is a big bar, and a little goes a long way) Fels Naptha is a yellow colored soap from Dial company. You can also use Zote, or any bathing soap you like. I am told plain Ivory works well.

1/2 cup washing soda (sodium carbonate) NOT baking soda which is sodium bicarbonate. Both can be had from the Arm and Hammer line. I found mine at Homeland or Crest (can't remember which). Wal-Mart here didn't have it.

1/2 cup borax

I used a metal slotted spoon to stir.

Large Bucket (5 gallon is a good size)

Empty clean bottles to store it in.


In a large saucepan or stock pot, bring 6 cups of water almost to a boil. While this is heating, grate (with a cheese grater) your bar of soap into a bowl. When the water is hot, add the soap, and stir until is it dissolved. Add the soda and borax (gradually) and stir until dissolved.

Put 4 cups HOT tap water into the bucket. Add soapy mix, and stir. Add one gallon plus 6 cups more of HOT tap water, and stir.

Let the bucket sit overnight. It will be a big bunch of slimy goo, resembling egg drop soup. It will be a light shade of the color of the bar soap you started with.

Funnel into old bottles for use and storage. This recipe makes about 2 gallons, maybe a bit more. I filled two of the largest Sunny Delight bottles. I used them because they are thicker and stronger than milk jugs, and have better handles than juice bottles.

Use 1/2 cup of soap mix per load when washing. The soap will not suds up like commercial soaps, but not to worry. It still does its job!

You can add a few drops of an essential oil to fragrance the mix, add that when you are mixing in the big bucket. Suggestions I have seen are Orange, Lavender, or Tea Tree.

[metro]

Thanks for the feedback. We didn't get to making it tonight, but OKC Drummers recipe sounds like all the ones we've read online. We have the Fels Naptha and everything else. The only place I found washing soda was Ace Hardware if anyone else is interested in doing this. Walmart was the only one that had Fels Naptha. Average cost per load DIY is less than one penny per load versus .40-.75 cents per load with the commercial stuff, plus doesn't have the artificial detergents and foaming agents. The foam/suds have nothing to do with cleaning BTW, it's just psychological marketing.

[Wambo36]

Any idea how much you would use in a front load washer?

[metro]

I've heard approx. 1/2 cup no matter style of washer, even if an HE. I'm sure you can google what others have done.

[Wambo36]

Thanks, I will google it. We use lye soap a lot but have always bought it, never made it. This will be interesting.

[stick47]

Thanks for the feedback. We didn't get to making it tonight, but OKC Drummers recipe sounds like all the ones we've read online. We have the Fels Naptha and everything else. The only place I found washing soda was Ace Hardware if anyone else is interested in doing this. Walmart was the only one that had Fels Naptha. Average cost per load DIY is less than one penny per load versus .40-.75 cents per load with the commercial stuff, plus doesn't have the artificial detergents and foaming agents. The foam/suds have nothing to do with cleaning BTW, it's just psychological marketing.

Laundry soap doesn't cost anywhere near 40 to 75 cents per load. At $18 or $20 a jug one might think that and possibly it could if you use more than the specified amount. I checked and Consumers Reports lists the cost per load for the major laundry soap brands as between 5 cents and 30 cents per load with the best performer at 17 cents.

[BBatesokc]

I just looked on the box and the one I get only runs $.11 per load x 110 loads. Considering we only do 3 loads a week I couldn't imagine going through all that to make my own. But, I guess if you enjoy doing it, then go for it. Sometime the mental satisfaction is worth it even if the monetary savings is not huge.


My wife makes her own Vitamin C serum for her face. A bottle at the store or online runs $40-$70 per ounce, but she can order all the ingredients and mix it herself for only $6 ounce.

[rxmom03]

Here's an easier recipe--similar to the first one, except you keep it as a powder. Mix together 1 cup Borax, 1 cup washing soda, and one bar soap (grated). Use 2-3 tbsp with each wash. I found this recipe on the internet--they said this was 2-3 cents per load, as opposed to an average of 20 cents for store-bought brands. I also use vinegar instead of softener, so I at least same money in the laundry room!

[metro]

Stick - use what numbers you want, but even so <.01 cent is still MUCH cheaper, especially if you have a family.

bates - good point about the mental satisfaction. We made it this weekend, took about 15 minutes. Over a year we can save approx $80-100, while not life changing, that's significant savings. It felt good to make it too, and the clothes came out cleaner, softer, and no chemical smells.

Can you also post your wife's Vitamin C serum recipe?

Rxmom, yes it works wet or dry, just don't add the water basically.

[stick47]

Stick - use what numbers you want, but even so <.01 cent is still MUCH cheaper, especially if you have a family.

I don't have any opinion on your leisure activities Metro but wanted to correct the exaggerated savings you posted.

[BBatesokc]

I grow a garden and after doing the math, the only real benefit is the mental one. After adding up all the costs I can buy organic or participate in one of those field to fork co-ops and would save a lot more. But, I'll plant it again this year. It's a great stress reliever.

[kevinpate]

... I'll plant it again this year. It's a great stress reliever.

My spouse would agree with you. She set in a small garden this past year for the first time in several years. Not my thing, but when she gardens outside I can kick up the volume on a blues station a few extra notches. We both end up happy all in all.

[FritterGirl]

I've looked into laundry soap making and have friends who've found success with it. The recipe I saw was exactly the one that OKCDrummer77 posted.

I also saw one where they funneled the laundry soap into a large plastic container with a spigot, and then adhered one of those plastic hooks to the side of the container, where they then hung their laundry "cup."

I've also seen people who are putting vinegar into downy balls as a natural fabric softener.

My wife makes her own Vitamin C serum for her face. A bottle at the store or online runs $40-$70 per ounce, but she can order all the ingredients and mix it herself for only $6 ounce.

I'd like this recipe, too. I have switched to the oil cleansing method for cleaning my face and it has done wonders for my skin. Some organic sunflower seed oil and castor oil at approx a 80:20 ratio, and voila, clean, clear skin and very soft and smooth. (There's more to it than that, but that's the jist of it).

[BBatesokc]

Pretty simple process for vitamin C serum. I'll have to remember to have her tell me exactly what she does..... But I know she combines distilled water, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), glycerin, vitamin E and something else.

i know she uses some test equipment to make sure the acidity is not so high it burns and not so low it is ineffective. She likes to be no lower than 10%, but you can't be much higher either.

[FayeF]

Glad that you're interested in using homemade detergect. Saving money at the grocery store is a concept that can extend to every product you regularly purchase. This includes things such as dishwashing and laundry soap, notes Bankrate. Some customers extol the virtues of single-use dishwasher and laundry soap - aka pods or squares - but the reality is that standard dishwashing detergent or even homemade soap is less expensive. I have here a site where I get the ingredient in making detergent soap. Source of article: How to save money on laundry and dishwashing detergent. Hope it helps.

[metro]

Just a small correction, it's homemade laundry soap, not detergent. No harsh detergents in the homemade stuff.