LAUNDRY SOUP
Meant to say SOAP. (This is when you know you have a problem.)
I met another dear Laura at one of the Costco signings and she was kind enough to share the recipe for a “practical easy way” to make homemade laundry soup soap. (Such a weirdo.)
5 cups Borax
5 cups washing soda
2 bars Fels Naptha Soap, grated (Grated like cheese? Laura said yes.)
5 cups Oxi Clean or Purex.
Mix soaps together and use 2 Tablespoons per load. Laura said that this should last a long time and is cheap and easy to make.
Lizzie and I worked together to mix up a double batch. Grating the bars of soap was crazy but it worked.
I’m curious to see how this soap works and I’m curious about the cost. Just haven’t had the time to figure it all out. If you have any ideas or suggestions please let me know.
Tags: do not eat, provident living laundry soap, some people will try anything
June 15th, 2009 at 12:01 am
I have been using a variation of this recipe on my laundry for the past three months. This is a wonderful, inexpensive laundry detergent! I can make a year’s supply (I wash for nine) for about $25. These ingredients are now a permanent part of my food storage (preparedness) inventory.
This detergent works great in HE machines, too! It is a no-suds detergent, so you wonder if it’s working, but don’t let that fool you. It’s the ingredients, not suds that make it a good detergent. I think you’ll be happy with the results.
June 15th, 2009 at 12:17 am
See? This is exactly what I wanted to hear! Thanks Stephanie. So tell me what your variation is on the recipe. Do you think it matters? And what is a HE machine? I’m glad you explained about the no suds. That would have thrown me for sure. Do you have a suggestion for the best price on the ingredients? Thanks for your help!
June 15th, 2009 at 8:11 am
This is a definate must try!! Because my two older children are incharge of thier own laundry we go thru soap like crazy and the cost is getting out of control. Will this work on sensative skin just as well? And what about fabric softner? Any recipes out there? I would be very interested to try those also.
June 15th, 2009 at 8:19 am
It seems like the time, hassle & cost of this recipe wouldn’t really justify making it. Some of the ingredients, like the oxy clean, are not any cheaper than just buying detergent. I’m sorry, but I’m not convinced. My detergent costs for a year are already less than $25.
June 15th, 2009 at 9:58 am
Thanks for sharing this Liesa.:)
I have thought of making a version of this detergent, but I’ve hesitated because I didn’t know how well it would work and we have a couple of family members with sensitive skin.
I’m rather picky about our laundry. I want our whites really WHITE.:)
How well does this recipe do in keeping whites their whitest? Does it fade dark colors?
Thanks everyone,
Joyce
June 15th, 2009 at 3:55 pm
That was my first thought too, Wendy, that the ingredients may not be any cheaper than pre-made laundry detergent. The other thing to consider is that laundry detergent goes on sale often and there are always coupons out there. I’d be curious if this homemade soap ends up any less expensive than a store brand. Thanks for trying it, Liesa, you may have saved me the hassle once we figure out the cost
.
June 15th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
I’m on a message board where many women make their own laundry detergent. I don’t think the other recipes I’ve seen include Oxiclean, although there is strong debate over whether Fel-Naphtha or Zout is better for the soap portion.
June 15th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
mmmm….laundry soup.
June 15th, 2009 at 9:34 pm
Sorry ladies. I have tried this and I do not like it. I loved the smell, but it left a film on my washer tub that I did not like. I used vinegar rinses, etc. but it didn’t seem to help. I didn’t notice that it cleaned any better or worse than my regular soap. (we can’t use Tide-my husband is allergic to it). So we’re back to the usual laundry soap.
June 15th, 2009 at 9:51 pm
I hate it when we fight. So, I did a little math problem and found that the laundry soup actually was lots cheaper. My big box of Tide from Costco is supposed to wash 180 loads and it cost $27.60. That means that each load costs .15 cents. The ingredients for the laundry soup (Hi Elizabeth) came to $21.74 for 31 cups that would wash 248 loads, at .08 cents each load. That means…drum roll…if I do 6 loads a week, a year supply of Tide will cost me $46.80 and a year supply of laundry soup will only cost me $24.96. Boom baby. I still don’t know if it gets the whites as white as what Joyce likes, (I’m with her) but I’m more motivated to give it a try!
June 15th, 2009 at 9:58 pm
Really Marilyn? Film? Ew. But come to think of it, my washer probably already has film on it…certain things I just ignore…
Did your clothes have a film on them??? That would be a deal breaker. One thing I did learn from making this batch was I’ll for sure wear a mask next time. I’m sure I was breathing it in and it felt pretty toxic. What’s another gillian brain cells lost…
June 18th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
Yup. Film. Kinda like that icky stuff that gets on your glasses in the dishwasher. Maybe it’s partly because of the water here in AZ. I actually LOVE the smell of washing soda. We went to the Madeira Islands last year and went to the embroidery factory and they were using a soap that smelled exactly like the washing soda to clean their linens. It was great. I completely agree it is cheaper too. But I just didn’t like this homemade stuff-I tried it for about 3 months too. Oh well. P.S. I LOVE LOVE LOVE your book-most particularly the “doctrine” behind why we do food storage. Next week I’m pitching it to all my bloggy friends. We are all outside of the great state of Utah so your horizons are expanding!
June 19th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
For the person who asked about fabric softener—try vinegar in the rinse water.
June 20th, 2009 at 4:59 pm
I have tried this and agree with others who said it did not work very well. I also live in AZ, but hard water is hard water everywhere! I use Sear’s powdered detergent when it is on sale and spend about .09 cents per load. It is good for people with sensitive skin, like my husband. We cannot use Tide for that reason.
June 21st, 2009 at 5:54 pm
Thank you Marilyn! I’ve been out of town for a few days so your message was a wonderful treat to come home to. I’m so happy that you have enjoyed the book. The “doctrine” is my favorite part too. I’m glad it had meaning for you and thank you for sharing it with others.
June 21st, 2009 at 5:56 pm
Thank you Laura and Elizabeth for your laundry tips. I’ve never tried the vinegar in the rinse water…or the Sears brand of detergent. Both sound like less expensive solutions…rrr
December 18th, 2009 at 3:28 pm
Thanks Liesa for this site. I am reading your book and enjoying compiling my recipes. Here are my thoughts on the laundry detergent issue:
I have not had much luck with powdered detergent. I have hard water as well (sigh). But, I have made this liquid version several times and think that it is really good. It doesn’t call for Oxyclean. However, I will add that separately for an extra boost for the whites. I also add some orange or lemon essential oil for extra grease cutting action and a lovely scent.
For a fabric softener I add the essential oils to the vinegar (softener, rinse agent). I just put it in a Downy ball. Essential Oils can be purchased other places besides the health food store for a lot less money.
Homemade Laundry Detergent
1 Bar Fels Naptha (soap found in the detergent aisle)
1 ½ cups Borax (Mule Team Borax found in the detergent aisle)
1 ½ cups Washing Soda (Arm & Hammer product found in the detergent aisle)
5 Gallon Bucket
Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan. Add 12 cups water and heat on medium until the soap melts. Add the Washing Soda and Borax and stir until dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 8 cups of hot water into the 5 gallon bucket. Now add the soap mixture and stir. Add 2 Gallons of water and stir. Let the soap sit for 24 hours, stirring periodically with a whisk, and it will gel. This laundry soap will not suds much, but it is cleaning. You can add essential oils for fragrance and extra cleaning power.
December 18th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
Thank you Laurie. I’m so glad to hear that you’re enjoying the book and getting all your recipes compiled and organized. This soap recipe is a nice help. I like the idea of adding essential oils for the gease cutting action and lovely scent. Sounds divine! Thanks for sharing~
February 6th, 2010 at 5:43 pm
I have used a variation of this soap for 2 years. My washer had more of a ‘film’ on it with commercial soaps. I would wash it with a spray cleaner every 6 months or so. I haven’t cleaned my washer in over a year now. My variation is that I make my own bar soap. I also don’t use as much borax or washing soda. (I use 1 1/2 cups of each for a 3 cup total.) I only use Oxy Clean for whites. (Added by itself – not mixed with the laundry soap.) Sometimes I use liquid bluing for whites instead. I always use a vinegar rinse. I have found that my clothes are softer now then when I use commercial soaps. And smell much better. I use lavender EO for the scent. Hope this helps someone!
February 6th, 2010 at 5:54 pm
Oops! Forgot to add that I make mine into a liquid. I found that the powder doesn’t dissolve well. Add the grated soap to boiling water (about 6 cups) and stir until it is all melted. Then add the borax and washing soda. Stir until all is dissolved. Place 2 cups in a 150 oz. liquid detergent bottle and fill to the top with warm water. Wait until it cools to use. This recipe makes 3 bottles of liquid laundry soap for me. Shake gently before each use.
February 6th, 2010 at 11:59 pm
Very very interesting Kathleen. Thank you for sharing your expert opinion. I want to try making my powder into a liquid detergent, like you suggested. Please tell me the amount of water I should add to this recipe.
Thanks so much!
February 8th, 2010 at 8:55 pm
Wow! I will do my best. If I had the bags of powdered soap shown in your blog, the first thing I would do is try to separate out the grated soap from the borax/washing soda/oxy clean powder. Why? In my opinion, you have too much powder and not enough soap. I think the use of so much powder is contributing to the film that many mentioned. It also can leave a gritty feeling on the clothes. Keep the powder separate from the soap until mixing and add together as follows:
2 bars of grated soap
3 cups of the powdered mixture
5 quarts of water
Start with 1 quart of water, and boil it. Add the grated soap. (I do this on the stove and leave there until all the soap is melted- about 7 or 8 minutes stirring constantly.) After the grated soap is completely melted, remove from heat and add the 3 cups of powder mixture – stiring until completely dissolved. Add the other 4 quarts of water (warm water works best.)
You can use a 5 gallon bucket as Laurie mentions above and tripple the recipe. Use about 1/4 cup in each full wash load. Use less for a smaller load. This amount can be adjusted based on how dirty the clothes are. I live in the south and the dirt here is bright red and stains everything so I tend to use more than someone in another part of the country might use. Also, I tend to make my mixture more concentrated because of our soil (and dogs) so you could add more water than I mentioned above as well. You can experiement to see what amount of water works best for you. But 5 quarts is a good place to start.
Another good reason to separate the powder mixture from the grated soap (until you need to mix more laundry soap) is because a 50/50 combination of borax and washing soda can be used in the dishwasher. (I wouldn’t use the powder mixture with oxy clean.) I keep this 50/50 mixture in the old vinegar containers. I have been using this in my dishwasher in place of dishwashing liquid for 2 years. Put vinegar in the rinse container – I have never used commercial rinse agents – always vinegar. My dishes sparkle!
Also, I have a GE dishwasher and the model was recalled last year for having some wires short out. I was told that the rinse container leaks if overfilled and the commercial rinse agents have been corroding the wires. So when I got the recall letter, I called to make an apt to have the repair man come out and fix my dishwasher. When he open my machine he asked me if I ever use the rinse container because it looked brand new. I told him I use it all the time but it has only ever held vinegar. He told me he never heard of using vinegar but my wires still looked new and had no corrosion on them. (I asked him to make the fix anyway since he was already here.) He told me he was going to recommed that everyone use vinegar as a rinse agent from now on. By the way, my machine was 9 years old at the time. My mother always used vinegar in the rinse container and it never occured to me to use anything else.
Good luck with your laundry soap creation!
February 8th, 2010 at 9:09 pm
How come you never see your mistakes until you already posted your comments?
The recipe should say 15 quarts of water (or about 3 and 1/2 gallons.)
February 9th, 2010 at 4:36 pm
Kathleen, Kathleen, Kathleen! This is amazing. Thank you very much for taking the time to share the details of your homemade soaps. I’m sure it’s a help to many. I’ll have you know I added vinegar to my dishwasher this morning!
Baby steps.