I AM SO VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS. Last week Scott sent me this email:

     Subject: LETS DO THIS

     BODY: http://lifehacker.com/5714903/diy-washing-detergent-saves-you-cash-redux

And I watched the video. If you’re too lazy to watch it (I often am) here’s the gist: Lifehacker posted a recipe for making laundry soap, but got a load of comments that it sounded too complicated. So they followed up with a video that shows how very easy it is to do this. 

I watched it and was immediately convinced that we had to try making our own laundry detergent. 

There are three parts to this prep: Ingredient gathering, making soap, and testing. 

                         

Part one: INGREDIENTS

You only need three things for this product: Fels-Naptha Soap, Washing Powder and Borax. 

I did have a bit of trouble finding these, even though they’re super basic cleaning materials. With more patience I’m sure I’ll have zero problem getting a local hardware store to order the washing soda and Naptha in.

I ordered the Fels-Naptha soap on Amazon, and ended up ordering the washing soda as well. Borax was easier to find. Because I ordered them online, they were quite a bit more expensive than they should have been. Still, I spent a total of $16 on enough supplies to make a bajillion gallons of laundry detergent. Even just this batch is more detergent than the standard jug. 

Two: MAKING SOAP

THIS WAS SO EASY. Do you see those capital letters? 

I actually used this recipe - it came up first in the search results on my iPhone. It’s got different proportions and makes about 2.5 gallons of soap, not the 5 from the recipe in the video. 

                         

First, grate up a third of the Naptha bar. Dissolve in 6 cups hot water on the stove. When dissolved, add 1/2 cup each of Borax and washing soda. 

                         

Add the soap mixture to 26 cups of hot water in a five gallon bucket. Stir.  

                         

Let the mixture gel for a day and you’ve got about 2.5 gallons of soap. 

Next I need to put it in some two liter bottles for storage, and I’ll test the soap out tonight and let you know how it works. I have high hopes! It’s phosphate free - awesome. The only concern I have is that the Naptha bar is scented and I prefer unscented soaps, but we’ll live. 

Has anyone made laundry soap before? Do you still use it? Do you have tricks you’ve learned? Spill!