Make Your Own Laundry Detergent
by Malia Russell

Description: Making your own laundry detergent is a great way to save money on doing laundry.
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When I first read about making homemade laundry soap, I was excited but skeptical. Would it save me any money? (Yes!). Would it take a lot of time? (About 15 minutes per batch). Would our clothes look clean and smell good? (Yes!) Would it cause problems for our washing machine? (No).

After reading numerous sites, I decided to take the plunge! We purchased three ingredients at a total cost of under $11.00. These will make 8 batches of liquid laundry soap, at two gallons per batch.

What you need:

1. Soap (You need one bar per batch). We chose Ivory. If you use Fels Naptha, you will use less, about 1/3 of a bar.

2. Arm and Hammer Washing Soda (Available in the laundry area)

3. 20 Mule Team Borax (Available in the laundry area)

Step One: Shred, chop or shave your soap into small pieces. (Go ahead and do all the bars at one time, storing each bar into bags for use later.

Step Two: Measure and start heating water. You will need 6 cups of water heated to melt the soap in a sauce pan. It will bubble and rise, so get a deeper pan. Add the soap and water to the pan.

Step Three: Once the soap is all dissolved, you stir in half a cup of Borax and half a cup of Arm and Hammer Washing Soda. Stir over the heat until it is all dissolved.

Step Four: Remove from heat and pour into a large bucket. Use a three gallon bucket (or larger)

Step Five: Add four cups more of hot water to the bucket and stir until well blended.

Step Six: Add one gallon plus six cups of cold water to the mixture. Mix well. Let sit for 24 hours.

Store it in your old laundry soap bottle or other plastic container for easy pouring.

Ready to use! I used 1/4 of a cup because I have a high efficiency (HE) machine. Most would use half a cup. It looks like a liquid gel.

If you want a scent other than the soap smell, you can add 1/2 - 1 oz of essential oils. We generally do not do this. It smells great just like it is.

This has very low suds, so if you open the washer and look you will not see a lot of suds. This does not mean it is not working, but this is why it is safe for HE machines.

Based on us using liquid Tide from Sam's Club, I estimate that I used to spend 8 cents per load (I use half as much as the bottle recommends). Using my homemade soap I will spend half a cent per load. It takes less than 15 minutes to make. I do still use dryer sheets.

When I became interested in learning about making homemade laundry soap, I saw several sets of directions on different websites and looked around for the most commonly used ingredients and instructions. Once I decided to try it, I took pictures along the way to share for people just learning like me. http://www.homemaking911.com/2008/02/02/make-your-own-laundry-soap/

Malia Russell is the owner and director of http://www.homemaking911.com. The number one word homemakers use to describe themselves is overwhelmed. Women have a yearning to create a home, a place of beauty, order, comfort and peace. However the compulsion to do it right often collides with feelings of guilt, inadequacy and frustration.

homemaking911.com is meant to encourage you. There you will find resources to help in many aspects of home management and home education, being a godly wife and mother, and becoming the type of woman God is calling you to be.

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