Homemade Laundry Soap

Ingredients:

1 cup Arm & Hammer All Natural Super Washing Soda

1 cup 20 Mule Team Borax

1 cup Fels Naptha, shaved

1 gallon water

2 cups boiling water

This is super easy:

Fels Naptha shaved

Boil a half quart of water (2 cups). While this is heating up, shave the Fels Naptha bar until you get one cup full. This stuff will melt quicker and more uniformly if you make the pieces very small. The first batch I made I used a cheese grater but that was hard on my wrist so this time I used a knife to shave pieces off and then chopped them into finer pieces. You can put the pieces in the water and wait for it to boil but it melts better if you wait to add them to boiling water.

Next, pour one cup each Borax and Booster. Stir until it is all dissolved.

Pour this mixture into a bucket containing one gallon water. Mix it all well and pour into storage containers. I got these three from a hobby craft store for five bucks a piece. They must hold more than a quart each because they took the gallon of water plus two cups leaving only small amount.

Before each use the soap it needs to be shaken well because it tends to separate. I use a quarter to one half cup per load.

I feel I need to point out a couple things. The fragrance of the Fels Naptha is quite over powering. It is not a 'bad' smell, it is just strong. I suggest that once the package is opened it be kept in an airtight container. I use Wet Ones plastic box shown in the photo.

Also, the Borax picks up moisture fairly easily so keep it in an airtight package as well.

These products have been around for over a hundred years and are made of all natural materials. Modern laundry detergents are all based on these three natural materials plus other chemicals to do things like add a fragrance or not leave a residue in the measuring cup or add fabric softener chemicals. There is no residue left on your clothing and they come out clean every time.

The fact that these ‘new’ laundry detergents contain these chemicals is a major reason why I choose not to use them.

A little about the products:

Arm & Hammer All Natural Super Washing Soda is a detergent booster and household cleaner. In production since 1874. 100% fragrance and phosphate free. It is sodium carbonate and is used for a variety of cleaning chores besides laundry.

20 Mule Team Borax is an all natural laundry booster & multi-purpose household cleaner. Removes stains on many surfaces such as tile/grout, sinks, pots & pans, fine china, mattress odors, outdoor furniture (plastic and metal), garbage pails, etc.

Fels Naptha is a heavy duty laundry bar soap used to remove stains (works especially well on oil-based stains).

Now I ask you, can you use laundry detergent to clean anything other than laundry, No, because it has been diluted so that you need to buy the corporations other chemical based products too.

Do yourself and the environment a favor and bypass the chemically laden products and use an all-natural product that you can make yourself.