Ingredients:
1 bar of soap (We've heard great things about Ivory, Zote, and Dove, but any soap of your choice will do.)
1/2 cup of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (Baking soda works if you can't find washing soda.)
1 cup Borax
4 cups plus 1 gallon and 6 cups of water
- Grate soap using a cheese grater. Lindsey, at Penny-wise Women uses her Salad Shooter!
- Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan.
- Add handfuls of grated soap, stirring until dissolved.
- Add washing soda and Borax.
- Stir until dissolved.
- Pour 1 gallon and 6 cups of HOT water into the storage container of your choice. You can use a bucket, Rubbermaid storage container, anything you like.
- Add soap mixture and stir well.
- Cover and let sit 24 hours before using.
- Use 1/2 cup per load. Yields 64 loads.
This recipe is so easy and inexpensive, why not double or triple it to last you months and months?
You can also add a few drops of essential oil, if you like. Lavender essential oil would make a very fragrant detergent.
The detergent will be gloppy.
Robin, who submitted her recipe, said this detergent works even better than store-bought detergent in her High Efficiency, front-loading washer.
Try it, and let us know how you like it!
Submitted by Robin and Lindsey
I'm looking forward to trying this out!! Does it work well for getting out grass stains? Would you use a little to pre-treat the stain?
ReplyDelete~ Carrie
Carrie, I have never used my detergent as a pre-treater, but you could try it. When Robin submitted her recipe, she added that the detergent got even their family's dirtiest farm clothes clean. I suppose that means that it works on grass stains too. I, however, still use a stain remover to pretreat tough stains. I believe we are working on a homemade stain remover recipe. Stay tuned!
ReplyDelete-Lindsey
Do you need to use a separate pot for this? (that is - a pot that you don't cook food in?)
ReplyDeleteGood question, Suzuki Mom. Actually, no, you don't have to use a special pot. I use the same pot for laundry detergent as I do for making all my soups and sauces. Give the pot a good washing or run it through the dishwasher, and there won't be any residue or leftover soap in it. It'll be safe to use for cooking again!
ReplyDeleteThank you Lindsey!
ReplyDeleteI love my homemade soap! I think it's been almost 3 years now since I've used store bought soap. I haven't had luck using it as a pretreater so I recommend using your normal stain treating method. I'll be interested is seeing the stain fighter you guys come up with.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone have a dry (powdered recipe) for laundry detergent that works?
ReplyDeleteI use this same recipe, but without the water. Let your bar of soap dry out for a few days before you grate it. Mix all the ingredients together and store in an airtight container. Add a teaspoon or two to your wash before your clothes. The amount you need will depend on your water and the amount of dirt on the clothes. I buy the 6 pack of bar soap. That is a good savings. The six packs have $1 off coupons from time to time. I make this in batches of 6 bars to save on time. I don't have the space to store it in liquid form unless
ReplyDeleteI wanted to make it a batch at a time and with 5 kids that would not be fun. Anyway the same recipe witout the water works great.
I having been making homemade laundry soap for the past couple years. What I have found to be effective for pre-treating is Fels Naptha soap. My laundry soap recipe uses Fels Naptha instead of regular soap. Simply wet the area to be treated then rub over stain with the Fels Naptha before throwing it in the laundry.
ReplyDelete