Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent

Hubby and I do ALOT of laundry! 

I don't know how TWO people can do so much laundry but we surely do~ about a load a day! 

A good chunk of our weekly budget was going for laundry soap so I

started looking into making my own. 

I've never done anything like this before and, honestly,  never felt the need to either. 

I'd heard people talk about it before so I told my hubby what I'd planned and he was leary and I understand why.  It's just plain ole easy and convenient to buy laundry detergent!    Another factor was cleanliness and we both worried (him much more than myself) that since there wouldn't be heavy perfumes lingering in our clothes that they wouldn't smell clean or be clean. 

I purchased the ingredients at a local Wal~Mart and Jewel and made the detergent on a Saturday morning.  After using the detergent for a week we've decided to continue using our own detergent at a fraction of the cost. 

I use about double the recomended amount of detergent and the hubs  probably is using triple  but counting the cost that we would be paying for purchased detergent we are still saving a good chunk of money.  Maybe part of the reason is that this is a low sudsing soap. 
I've got to remember also that it isn't the suds that do the cleaning but the ingredients in the soap.

Here are the ingredients and here's how I made it~ 

4 cups water

1 bar Fels Naptha Soap

1 cup Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda

1/2 cup Borax 

Grate the Fels Naptha into a saucepan.

Boil about 4 cups of water and add soap to water.

Stir with whisk over low heat until all of the soap is melted.

 

Meanwhile, fill up the industrial bucket half full of warm water. 

When all soap is melted pour into bucket with the warm water.

Measure out and mix well~

1 cup Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda

1/2 cup Borax

Fill with water to 5 gallons~  or nearly to top of bucket.

Cover and let sit overnight.  Soap will gel up. 

Break up soap  with stirring stick or use your hands.  

It is normal for there to be clumps and they will dissolve in the water with the wash.

 Put in containers for storage. 

The consistency is gel~like.  Give it a good shake in container before you add it to your laundry.  

I use 1/2 cup.  

 For all supplies and ingredients it cost me $12.75.  

After I purchased the Borax at Jewel's, Walmart restocked and it was a dollar cheaper. 

The next time I make detergent again I won't have to buy the borax or super washing powder so I will only have to buy the Fels Naptha. 

My next batch will cost about a dollar and ten cents!