Homemade Laundry Soap

Homemade laundry soap is quick and easy to make. For families that have loved ones with sensitivities you know how careful you have to be with things that can irritate their precious skin. When you make the laundry soap you know whats in it. Not to mention it costs a fraction of the commercial kind. After using it for many years I'm sold on it. Ready to try it?

The recipe is pretty basic. I normally use only 3 things in mine. This recipe that I am sharing is a powdered laundry soap recipe. I've made both the liquid (I'll share that recipe in another post) and the powdered version. 

Homemade Powdered Laundry Soap

1 bar of Fels-Naptha soap (or Ivory, or another bar soap that you have at home that you like. I usually use Fels-Naptha. It's available in the laundry aisle of most stores. At my store it usually costs about $.97.)

1 cup of Arm and Hammer Washing Soda (not to be confused with Baking Soda. This is NOT edible and is strictly used for cleaning).

1 cup of 20 Mule Team Borax.

All I need for homemade laundry soap!

First you need to grate your bar of soap. I use a small cheese grater just for this purpose. Then put it in the container that you want to store it in. I put mine in a decorative glass jar. 

Grating the soap very carefully...

All done!

Then measure out your Washing Soda and Borax and mix them in too. Mix well together. 

Now you are ready to do laundry. I use a tablespoon per load. Now I understand that this may not seem like enough. But what you just made is concentrated laundry soap. It works great and 1 tablespoon will be enough. When I make the liquid (which makes 5 gallons) I use close to the same amounts of the above ingredients and it will last me several months.

Don't worry about the little curls of soap, they will dissolve in the wash.

Let me know how it works! If you want some extra scent, add a few drops of essential oils (I like lavender) once the water has been added to the washing machine. The lovely smell doesn't usually stay with the clothes but it makes the laundry room smell good when it's washing them! :)

If you don't have essential oils and would like to try them, go to www.iherb.com use code "Sus515" to save money on your first order and usually shipping is free if you order at least $20.00. I love the NOW brand essential oils, vitamins and herbs. That's what I use personally for my family. Check it out!

Are you ready to wash some clothes?

I've gotten a couple of questions about if this laundry soap can be used in a high efficiency washer or not. I do not have a high efficiency washer, so cannot tell you for sure. What I can tell you that it doesn't foam up at all and if you do a google search you will find many similar recipes to mine that report they are safe to use in a high efficiency washer. That being said, you will have to decide for yourself.