Laundry Soap

I'm often asked about my homemade laundry soap. And by often, I mean anytime I mention to someone that I make my own laundry soap, they ask about it. They ask why. They ask how. But mostly why. I'll answer both questions here.

Why I make laundry soap. Mostly, because of the cost. For all the supplies, it costs about $20. And that will make multiple batches. One batch lasts me about a year. Disclaimer: I don't do very much laundry. Since it's just Brett and me at home, I do 4-5 loads a week. Sometimes less. Someone with children (especially small children) probably will go through this much faster.

I also make my own soap because of the chemicals. I know exactly what goes into my soap and what doesn't. I don't have to worry about all the scary chemicals and additives in store-bought soap. So if this is important to you, this is a good recipe.

How I make laundry soap. This is really easy, I promise. I don't make many things homemade and even I can handle this. Here it goes:

These are your ingredients. I box Borax (approx. $6), Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda (approx. $6), and bars of Fels-Naptha bar soap ($1/bar). All of these can be found in the laundry soap aisle at Walmart, and probably most other stores that sell laundry soap.

 
First step, unwrap your soap and cut it with a knife.

This is not an exact science. Cut however large of chunks you trust your food processor to blend.



Throw the chunks of soap into a food processor. If you do not have a food processer, you can use a handheld cheese grater. I did this before I had a food processer. It works fine, but it's a lot more work. Food processor made this all much easier.

 
Blend it until the chunks are small and fine.

 
Should look about like this.

 
Dump the soap into your bucket. I only made a small amount for this How-To blog, so I put it in an old Sherbet container. I usually use an ice cream pail.

Now add equal parts Super Washing Soda and Borax. For every one bar of soap, use one cup of each. Each batch I make is generally three bars of soap, and 3 cups each of Super Washing Soda and Borax.

 

 
Put your Super Washing Soda and Borax in your bucket.

 
Find a big spoon.
 

 Start mixing.

 
It should look about like this once it's all stirred together.

Find a scoop to keep in your bucket by your washer. My scoop actually came from an old Slim Fast mix. I use half a scoop of this per load. You don't need to use very much because the formula is so concentrated. If you're washing really dirty clothes (like if you have children), you may want to use a little more.

 
See? Really easy and fast. I made this whole recipe while also baking homemade rolls.

 That's right. I said homemade rolls.

Happy soap making!