1. It's a lot easier to store a year supply of laundry detergent, when you just have to have the ingredients.
2. This liquid detergent doesn't leave leftover soap on the clothes, like the dry stuff.
3. When you have these ingredients, you can make a bunch of other cleaners, like dishwasher detergent.
4. It's way cheaper, and you can use it on cloth diapers, which is another great way to save money, (and now a days is a lot easier than it used to be. I'll have to do a post on cloth diapers some time).
5. People seem to think you are superwoman if you make your own laundry detergent -
we won't tell them it's just cause we're cheap. :)
Ok, I'll stop babbling now so you can get on with your life. Here's the recipe!
Homemade
Laundry Detergent
1/3 bar Fels Naptha Laundry Soap, grated
6 cups water
1/2 cup washing soda
1 cup borax
1.
Heat 6 cups water and soap in a large pan until dissolved.6 cups water
1/2 cup washing soda
1 cup borax
2. Stir in washing soda and Borax. Mix and heat until dissolved. Boil 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
(It will have the consistency of honey.*)
3. Turn off the heat on the stove and move the pot to a hot pad.
4. Measure out 4 cups hot water and pour into your bucket. Add the Fels Naptha soap mixture to the bucket and stir well. Pour 1 gallon and 6 cups lukewarm water into the bucket and stir the solution to mix.
5. Mix until well blended. Let sit 24 hours. The
soap will gel*. Use 1/2 cup for each load.
*If
the detergent doesn't gel or reach honey consistency it will still work.
Makes
2 gallons. (Approximately $ .40 per gallon)
Stir
before each use as this soap does separate. Detergent can be stored in a liquid
detergent bottle. Just shake it up each time you use it.
This
detergent will not suds up in the washer, but it is still getting your clothes
clean.
If
you have extra hard water the soap may not clean as well. Add 1/2 cup borax or
washing soda to the load and that may help.
