Homemade Laundry Soap

I make my own laundry soap. Not because my kids have sensitive skin, not because I hate chemicals and want to "go green" but simply because I am CHEAP! Laundry soap is crazy expensive and we use A LOT, have I mentioned we are a family of 7?

I have adapted this recipe for my family, I use more Fles Naptha then other recipes, we have lots of stains, I use less water to fit more concentrated soap in a smaller bucket and I use less when I wash my clothing. I also now melt Purex Crystals into my soap for smell, homemade soap has a smell, but it’s only in the soap and the clothes end up free of smells, but I like my clothes to smell good.

To follow my recipe you will need:

1 bar of Fles Naptha (1.29)

1 Cup Borax (.04 cents an oz., use 8 oz. = .32 cents)

1 Cup Washing Soda (NOT baking soda) (.06 cents an oz., use 8 oz. = .48 cents)

1 Cup Purex Crystals (you can leave these out) (.21 cents an oz., use 8oz. = 1.68, but I got mine free with coupons!)

1 bucket

Let’s start with my bucket. I was walking through the bakery at Wegmans and saw them throwing away this HUGE white empty frosting bucket.. I said HEY! Can I have that?!?! Score: free bucket. I have a friend who uses a recycled cat litter bucket, you can buy a bucket at Lowes or maybe you have one lying around. Any bucket will do. I used to make my soap in old laundry bottles, but I like the bucket better.

Grate the Fles Naptha with a cheese grater, the warmer the soap the easier this is, but its not hard even cold. Melt the soap over medium heat in 8 cups of water. Once the soap has melted dump in the borax and washing soda and stir until dissolved. (you can add the crystals at this point if you are using them) DO NOT boil once you have added the borax and washing soda, it will bubble over, it will be a mess, trust me.

To your bucket add 2 gallons of cold water.

Once the soap mixture has melted and is all dissolved add it to your cold water bucket and stir.

Then you snap on the lid and let it set. For 24 hours. Each time I made this soap it looks slightly different, do not panic, anything from a thick gel to “egg drop” soup is normal.

We have an HE front loaded, this soap is low suds so it’s safe for HE machines. I use about ¼ cup in each load. This makes enough soap for 160 loads using ¼ cup. That’s enough for about 4 months in our house.

The price? Well 1 “batch” will cost me $2.09 (remember the crystals were free, but even at full price it adds 1.30) for 160 loads is a penny a load! Tide .. you know, the fancy expensive laundry soap will run you about .30 cents a load regular price.

Oh .. and if you think it takes to much time and work to make the soap, it just took me about 20 minutes from start to finish to make 4 months worth of soap. That’s the same amount of time it takes to drive to Wegmans and buy 1 jug .