Sunday, April 14, 2013

DIY Laundry Soap

Now I thought I was never going to be a person making my own laundry soap just to save a few bucks over the year. However, this is a product that I stand by and it will last you forever!

There are numerous recipes that you can find online on how to make laundry soap and the basically consist of the same components- Borax, Washing Powder, and a bar laundry soap. I know of a ton of people that make it so it really not a new idea but I will put in my tips that I used to make my laundry soap.

Here is what you will need to make your own laundry soap (the powder version)

1-cup of Borax (One of the most popular brands is 20 Mule Team)
1- cup of Washing Powder (I bought Arm & Hammer)
2-cups of a bar laundry soap (I use Zote and Fels Naptha Soap)

You can find this all in the laundry section at Walmart and I am sure other supermarkets (if not you can buy it online).

If this is your first time making laundry soap here is what you will also need

A container with a lid (I found mine at Walmart it holds 3-4 batches of powder laundry soap)
A cutting board and knife (you can buy it new but I just used an old set that will be used for this purpose- I do this instead of grate the soap!)
A Blender or Grater- (I used the blender over the grater and the powder comes out super fine instead of chunky)
Measuring cups
Large Bowl
1 Tablespoon (this can be an old one or new- it is for the finished product)

The first thing I do is chop the bar laundry soap into little cubes. The soap is soft and easy to cut!

*Now I have done Zote (I have seen it in white bars and pink bars it does not matter which one) by itself and Fels Naptha Soap (it is a yellow type soap bar) by itself (you can use one or the other) but I used a combination of both. I just think it personally works better but I also have hard water! However, experiment with what you like (I mean that is the reason there are so many laundry soaps out now)! I have come across some soap recipes that use Ivory, Sunlight, and Kirk’s Hardwater Castile. The key here is not to use heavily perfumed soaps. You house will smell great while making it!

The second thing I did was pour a small amount of the powder into a blender first (the borax and washing powder)

*The reason I put the powder in first is it helps break up the bar soap. I do small amounts at a time to make sure I really get it mixed up. I also will put the mixed up product in a large bowl so that I can re-mix it a final time. However, experiment with your method! I just do what is easier for me!

The third thing I did was put in a good handful of the chopped up bar soap in the blender and then blend

*The blender for me got the powder chopped up fine vs. hand grating it and for it me it saved time!

The 4th thing I did was put in the container I bought with the 1 Tablespoon (it is 1-2 Tablespoons of the laundry powder per load).

* I bought a plastic type container at Walmart. I found it where they sell the canisters for the kitchen. The container I bought is large enough to hold 3 to 4 batches of the laundry powder (which is normally what I make at one time).

I strongly suggest that you experiment with the recipe and use what you like as well as the method you prefer to make it! You can also make into a liquid/gel form if you like. I have tried both and I love the powder version. Let me know how you did and what tips you have to share!

Here are a couple of websites that have laundry soap recipes!

http://tipnut.com/10-homemade-laundry-soap-detergent-recipes/

http://www.ehow.com/way_5477229_homemade-laundry-detergents.html



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