Make Your Own Laundry Soap

[The Unabashed Pragmatic]

Do-it-yourselfers can make their own laundry soap.  It's pennies on the dollar, so to speak, after all the so-called, "dollar" is only worth a few pennies to begin with... you get the point... and the soap is by far and away better than any of the laundry detergent you buy off the shelf, does not eat your clothes, and is biodegradable.  It's easy to do and it's a no-brainer.

There are a thousand different recipes for laundry soap on YouTube and the Internet in general, so do your research there and pick the recipe you like best.  Meantime I will provide here a simple recipe I use at home and save hundreds of dollars per year.  Here is what you will need:

1.  A bar of your favorite soap
2.  A soup kettle or large cooking pot
3.  One cup of Super Washing Soda
4.  One cup Borax
5.  One quarter cup of baking soda and/or one quarter cup Oxyclean or equivalent (all optional)
6.  A five gallon bucket w/ lid
7.  Something to stir with.  I use a length of discarded broomstick

Get a bar of your favorite soap.  I use Fels-Naptha or ZOTE.  Fels-Naptha is a more powerful cleaner than ZOTE, so I prefer it over ZOTE for that reason alone, as I lead an active lifestyle and get a whole lot of dirty, sweaty, and smelly.  Fels-Naptha does the job for me. 

OK, you got your soap.  Now, either grate the soap or chop it up into small pieces and put it into a soup kettle with about four quarts of tap water.  Grating takes longer, but it's worth it, as the soap melts much faster.  Put the kettle on the stove at low heat and melt down the soap, stirring occasionally until all is liquified.  Do not cover the kettle while it is heating.  If you do, the soap will rise up over the edge of the kettle and spill onto your stovetop.  What a mess.  Anyway, keep the lid off and the heat low and you will have great success. 

While your soap is melting, pour yourself one cup of Super Washing Soda and one cup of Borax and put them aside.  You can also pour out your baking soda and/or Oxyclean if you choose.  Its not necessary, but adds cleaning power if so desired.  That's it.  That's all the ingredients you will need.  You can find them in the laundry section of your grocery store or big department store.  Even drugstores have them.  

Once your soap is melted,  pour this mixture into your clean five gallon bucket.  I do the mixing in the bathtub because I am messy.  Fill the bucket about halfway with hot water, as hot as it comes from your tap.  Start slowly pouring your Super Washing Soda and baking soda and your other optional ingredients into the hot mixture, stirring all the while until all ingredients are liquified.  Once this is done, fill the bucket the rest of the way with the hot tap water, cover and leave your bucket sit overnight.  

You're done.  That's all there is to it.  

In the morning, you will find the bucket is room temp and the mixture inside has separated with a thick gel or hardened cake on top and thinner liquid going to the bottom.  This is normal.  Just break up the cake or the gel and stir your mixture until even.  Your soap is ready to use.  

I take a plastic laundry bottle and fill it with my soap and keep it in my laundry supply for daily use.  I go back to the bucket for a refill when I need one.  The soap will separate between uses, so be sure to stir the bucket and shake the bottle before using.