Homemade Laundry Soap

How much money do you spend on laundry soap every month? I used to go to BJ's warehouse and buy a huge container of liquid Tide every month. I would also buy a large container of liquid Downy, two gallons of Clorox, 1 gallon of Clorox 2, and a box of dryer sheets. A little overboard? I couldn't ever get the desired amount of clean, smalle of freshness, brightness, and static-free results unless I used ALL of these products. I figured that WITH COUPONS, I was spending OVER $520 on laundry cleaners each year. In addition, the amount of chemicals I was washing down the drain, and into our clothing was concerning to me. I was raised with Tide and Downy and they were as much a comfort for me as I felt they were a quality product. Don't get my wrong, I still think if I had to buy laundry soap, that's the way I would go, but I don't have to!

My sister had been making her families' laundry soap for probably 2 years before I finally decided to give it a shot. I just didn't think the laundry would be clean with two tablespoons of some homemade powder concoction! I mean seriously, how could this be?

I'm not sure what changed inside of me, but I decided to give it a shot. I took twenty bucks and went to the store. I had my sisters recipe in my hand, and I had NO idea what Fels Naptha or Zote (or what the heck to even look for...a box, a tube, a canister???), washing soda (HUH?), or even Borax (isn't that stuff super poisonous?) was. I bought up the ingredients after asking the people at the store to help me. I was a little shocked to come home with some pretty neat looking, great smelling stuff. I borrowed my sisters cheese grater that she had bought specifically for making laundry soap, and shredded the Fels Naptha. I was in heaven. I loved the way it smelled, and I was also fascinated by the look of delicious shredded cheddar...I know, so weird, right? I added all the goodies together, mixed with my bare hands and stood and stared at the outcome. I had this 5-gallon bucket half full of powdered goodness with little yellow shreds of cheddar cheese..haha. I started looking for a container to dump it in that I could leave next to the washer. I found one that I thought would fit it all. I used a large Tupperware storage container and it barely fit a quarter of the detergent. I gathered up a couple more and STILL needed something to put it in. Finally, I used the large, empty Oxy Clean containers I had leftover from making the detergent. I felt silly with all these containers on the shelves above the washing machine, but it was nice to think I wouldn't have to spend so much money on detergent next month. That first batch lasted me an entire year! I only used 1 tbsp. for MOST loads even though at first, it drove me insane to think that little bit of stuff could get my clothes clean.

The results were in! My clothes looked and smelled fantastic. I haven't bought stain remover or detergent of any kind in nearly 3 years. I have made three batches, and have discovered perfected the recipe for MY families' use. There are MANY variations out there, but this is the one we like the best. I always post pictures of us making the detergent on Facebook when it's time for a new batch. My friends and family are always asking for my recipe, so I decided to share it this way, and I hope MANY folks can enjoy this as well. Not only will you save loads of cash with this, but you will also reduce your carbon footprint by eliminating all those plastic containers each month. Let me know how you like it!

Homemade Laundry Soap

• 2 bars if fels naphtha

• 3lb box of Oxy clean

•  4lb box of baking soda

•  3lb box of washing soda

• 4lb box of borax

It smells so lovely to make this inside your house, but the powder can potentially fly everywhere, so I make mine in the driveway. Shred the two bars of Fels with a cheese grater or food processor. Dump all other ingredients into a 5 gallon bucket, or large bin, lined with a kitchen trash bag. Add the shredded fels and mix everything as well as you can. Store detergent in a container (or several) of your choice. Use 1-2 tablespoons per load of laundry. For most loads, I now use 2 tbsp.

Confession Time! I do use one dryer sheet for each load of laundry I do. I buy a LARGE box of Publix brand sheets about once per year. I just can't handle the static otherwise.