Frugal Family Tip 1- Detailed Laundry Soap Directions

Frugal Family-Detailed Laundry Soap Making Tip

Ok I know that there are Lots of Laundry Soap making tips out there, but some are either too vague or too involved.  Armed with several tips and directions I set them all to use and learned some things along the way, hopefully all your soap making queries will be answered.

First gather your supplies.

*Laundry Soap either Fels Naptha or Zote.  You can get this from hardware stores, Dollar stores, Walmart or Online. About $1.00

*20 Mule Team Borax Walmart or any grocery store.  About $4.00

*Arm & Hammer Washing Soda NOT Baking soda.  It is Soda Ash or the chemical name Sodium Carbonate.  You can get it from certain stores call Arm & Hammer, Online or visit a pool supply store.  It is used for the pool. (Kinda disturbing, I know) About $4.00

To save time I do a large batch.  But here is the measurement for a regular batch.

1 Laundry Bar soap

1/2 Cup Borax

1/2 Cup Washing Soda

Cut the soap into pieces that can move well in your food processor.  Mine has a 14 cup capacity so my soap chunks are pretty big.  Zote soap cuts smooth and easy.  Place in the food processor, add the Borax and Washing Soda, then pulse and let it get totally pulverized.

To save time I make several of these batches and just store them in an old laundry detergent container.

Some have used this dry form of laundry mix by putting in 1 Tablespoon per load.  But I have found that it does not dissolve well at all.

While you are assembling the dry ingredients you can get the water heated.

You do not need to make the whole 3 gallons at one time.  I was able to do a break down of making smaller batches of the liquid laundry soap.

1 gallon of water per cup of laundry mixture.   If you want to make less just divide…2 quarts of water to ½ cup laundry mixture etc.

Add mixture into hot water and stir until mixture dissolves, about 3-5 minutes.  The mixture will melt and turn the water pink (if using Zote soap like I did).  There is just a bit of suds, but not much at all.  It is very watery after melting but as it sits overnight it gets thick and gelatinous.

The next day the mixture get very firm, just stir with a wooden spoon until it gets smoother.

I pour mine into a 3 gallon detergent bucket with a half cup measuring cup in there.  I just stir the mixture with the cup then scoop and use as normal.  You can also pour the contents into a clean and empty milk jug or empty liquid detergent bottle.  Shake before use.

You then just use ½ Cup per load or more for really dirty clothes.  Zote soap has a light rosey scent to it.

If you use a whole bar of soap and a couple cups of Borax and Washing Soda it will not come out to more than $3.00 and that will make about 3 gallons.  At ½ cup a load, 32 loads per gallon, 3 gallons per mixture….drumroll please…you spend .03 a wash.

Pretty good eh?!

Hopefully this answers all your pressing questions about making your own liquid laundry detergent.  How does it work?  Well my son is a mechanic and I use it to wash his work clothes and it seems to get them pretty clean, so no complaints here.