Make Your Own

A friend of mine posted on facebook that she made her own laundry soap. I have thought about trying it myself for awhile and seeing her post jump started me into action. The instructions sounded pretty easy so I gave it a try.

It is super easy all you need is:

• A 5 oz bar of soap (fels naptha is the kind recommended but I used Mrs. Meyer's)
• 1 cup of washing soda (not baking soda, you can find washing soda in the laundry aisle at most grocery stores)
• 1 cup of borax
• 4 cups of hot water
• 5 gallon bucket with lid

Grate the soap with either a cheese grater or just use a paring knife to shave the bar. Add the shaved soap to the hot water and cook over medium heat until all the soap is melted. Then fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water, add the melted soap and the washing soda and borax. Mix the solution until all the powder is dissolved then fill the bucket with more hot tap water to within about 2 inches of the top.

Put the lid on the bucket and then set the laundry soap in a cool dry place over night. In the morning you have your laundry soap! It should be about the consistency of flan. All you need is about 1/4 cup per load of laundry. There you have it, you have now lowered the cost of doing laundry from .13/load to .01/load.