Homemade Laundry Soap

While reading my "Country Sampler" magazine recently I came upon this recipe for homemade laundry soap. I thought it would be fun to try to make and so I went for the ingredients. I bought everything at Wal-Mart and they were quite inexpensive. All were found in the laundry aisle. I put off making it for a while but yesterday, I noticed that I was getting low on Tide. So I decided to give it a go. It was so easy and smells nice too.

Here is the recipe:

2 bars Fels-Naptha soap, grated coarsly

2 cups Arm and Hammer washing soda

2 cups 20 Mule Team Borax
Water

Grate the soap and dissolve it in 4 quarts of boiling water. I mixed mine in a 5 gallon bucket. Then when it is dissolved, add 5 quarts of hot water and 2 cups of soda and 2 cups of borax. Mix thoroughly, then add the remaining 3 quarts of water. Mix well and let sit overnight. It will make a thick gell. The next day, scoop out enough of it to fill a large mixing bowl and whip with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour into 12-1 quart jars. When ready to use, pour a jar of soap into your liquid laundry detergent bottle that you have so carefully recycled or been given by one of your truly good friends. Add 2 jars of water, shake well and use the regular quantity as directed by the commercial soap maker. You can use in high effeciency washers too, just use a little less.

This was easy and did not take much time. I had thought I would mix the gel with my husband's drill with a paint stirrer attached, but couldn't find the long one, so used my portable kitchen mixer.
This is what it looks like in the bucket all gelled up. I will post later after using it, how I like it. I sure smells nice and is so much cheaper. $5.00 for this batch and $29.00 for a box of Tide.