Here's the recipe:
Ingredients:
1/3-1/2 bar of soap
1/2 cup washing soda
1/2 cup of Borax
2 Gallons of Water (32 cups)
For the soap use any sort of solid bath soap like Dial, Ivory, or your personal preference. Some suggest using Fels-Naptha, but I have found no difference with those that I have used, so I use the cheapest I can find. The amount of soap will determine how "gelled" up your detergent will be. If you want it more gelled, add more soap, less gelled, less soap. I usually use somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 bar - so would that be like 3/8 bar?
Washing Soda is NOT the same as Baking Soda. It can be difficult to find. You can call Arm & Hammer at 1-800-524-1328, the UPC code is 33200-03020. They can tell you the nearest store that you can purchase it at. If there aren't any stores near you, you can buy 3 boxes and get free shipping!
Borax is a laundry booster found in the laundry aisle. I had no problems finding this
You will need some sort of container to hold this laundry detergent. The recipe makes 2 gallons. To heat up the soap, I use my big canning pot, when finished I pour the detergent into an old detergent bottle- one of the Costco sized ones.
Directions:
Grate the soap (it is actually quite easy and smooth to grate). 
Fill a saucepan with water (at least 4 cups of water, but it all depends on the saucepan's size). Add the soap to the water, stirring occasionally.
In a bowl, mix the Borax and Washing Soda together.
When the soap is melted, add the Borax/Washing Soda mixture into the pot. Stir until it is dissolved.
If you used a pot big enough to hold 2 gallons of water, add the remaining water needed to reach 2 gallons, stir, then when the solution is cooled down, pour the soap into whichever container you have assigned to hold the soap.
If not, pour your soap solution into a bucket (or whatever you have planned to hold your detergent) then add in the remaining water that is needed. Stir until mixed well.
If you would like, at this point add in 10-15 drops of an essential oil. I like to put in Tea Tree oil.
Let soap sit for 24 hours.
When washing:
Use about 1/2 a cup of soap per load. Be sure to either stir or shake your soap between each use to keep the contents more congruent.
Does this get clothes cleaned? I've been using it for almost a year and can tell no difference between this and the much more expensive stuff I bought at Costco (it's amazing how cheap making this soap is), but I don't recommend looking at my boys' clothes as for proof of the soap's effectiveness - remember these clothes have been worn by 5 boys (their clothes are hand-me-downs from my nephew). But in reality, the soap is effective and I have had no problems with it - and I wash cloth diapers with it, so that should say something. I will tell you though that you won't get a lot of perfume-y smells from the soap, so if you want a scent, add in an essential oil.
Is this safe for my HE washer? I have a front loader and have had no problems with this soap. True I have had problems with socks, but not the soap.
Now wasn't that easy? Now you can have more chocolates with the money you will save.
5 comments:
I have now copied the recipe to Microsoft word. Haven't tried it, yet, though.
I have been wanting to do this for a long time, and with your directions, I will definitely try it now. Thanks an cute comment about the chocolate.
I've seen this on that show about the Duggar family! I never had the recipe and now I do! I may borrow this idea and post it on a Tutorial Tuesday - I have to tell all my bloggy friends how smart you are!
We make our own, too. It is really easy. We use Fels Naptha instead of Dial, and it works good, too. It can be tough to find...Kroger has it for $1.
Haha you're crazy! I felt like I was watching the discovery channel show "how it's made" while reading that.. btw Mikey is looking so big! He actually looks like a kid now, instead of a little boy - it's scary!
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