Posted by: Maureen | June 15, 2011

Several years ago I grew tired of buying expensive laundry detergent in obnoxious plastic packaging. So, I decided to start making my own.  Here are a few reasons why I feel making homemade laundry soap is more beneficial  than conventional:

1. Save Money: The cost of making the above recipe is about $2.00. With this 2 gallon size recipe you will have enough to do about 55 loads of laundry. That translates to about 3.5 cents per load.

2. Better for the Environment: Where do I start?! A homemade detergent uses far fewer scary chemicals. Store bought detergent comes in thick plastic bottles which never biodegrade. Transporting store bought from the factory to the store to your home uses a lot of fuel. Store bought detergents often have dangerous and excessive fragrances.

3. It works: I’ve been using this for years, and our clothes are clean!

4. Its fun: Admit it—its kinda cool to know how to make something like this. And in times like this its nice to do something to save a little money and be kinder to the environment.

5. Its easy: total active time for me is about 8 minutes!

Homemade Mothering’s Homemade Laundry Soap Recipe
1/4 bar Fels Naptha soap
1/2 bar Ivory soap
2/3 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
1/2 cup 20 Mule Team Borax
A 2 gallon bucket with a lid – I found a good one in the painting department at Home Depot

Very finely chop or grate the soaps.

Add 6 cups of water to a large pot over medium heat and add the soaps.

Stirring often, heat the liquid until the soap melts. Stir in washing soda and borax and turn off the heat.

Fill the bucket halfway with warm water, and then carefully pour the hot soap mixture into the bucket.  Stir. Add more water until the bucket is nearly full.

Let the liquidy soap sit overnight, allowing it to gel.  Stir the gel until it is well incorporated.  Now its ready!

The consistency of this detergent is different from what you buy at the store – it is a liquidy gel.  Use 1/2-3/4 cup per load (I use the top of an old detergent bottle to measure!). Remember that this is a low-sudsing formula, so don’t expect to see a lot of bubbles.  If your clothes have what looks to be a nasty stain, pre-treat with a conventional stain stick or spray!

Maureen Smithe Brusznicki is a wife, mother and friend to Mother Nature.  When she's not playing with her kids, experimenting with homemade cleaning products or coo k ing in the kitchen she likes to blog about living a healthy and simple life at Homemade Mothering.  Follow her on twitter and join her on Facebook