Make your own laundry soap and save money

Save you and your family a lot of money by making your own laundry soap. It is much better on not only your pocket book, but on the environment as well. I decided to try using Oxi Clean this time around, and I think that I like it. It doesn't take much, and it has made a huge difference on the cleanliness of my families clothing.
Items that you will need for this project.

• 1 Fels-Naptha laundry soap bar or Zote
• 1 cup of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
• 1/2 cup of 20 Mule Team Borax
• 1/2 cup of Oxi Clean (optional)
• Pan large enough to hold 4 cups of water & a Fels- Naptha bar
• 4 cups of water
• 5 gallon bucket

Step one: Select a pan large enough to hold 4 cups
               of water and a bar of Fels-naptha bar soap

               The pan that I use is one that I always use to make my laundry soap, and don't use it for anything else. I don't prefer using pans with Teflon or any non stick material. They are porous and I would be afraid couldn't be used for anything else. 

Step two: Pour 4 cups of hot tap water into the pan

Step three: Grate the whole bar of Fels-Naptha into 
                 the pan (this is incredibly tedious and if 
                 you have another idea that would have 
                 the same results, I would love to hear it.

Step four: Heat up the water and bar of Fels-Naptha 
                until it is completely melted. Be sure to stir.

Step five: While you are melting the Fels-Naptha, fill
               the 5 gallon bucket half full with hot tap 
               water.

Step six: Measure out 1 cup of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda and add it to the water in the 5 gallon bucket

Step seven: Measure out 1/2 cup of 20 Mule Team Borax and add it to the water in the 5 gallon bucket.


Step eight: After adding the Super Washing Soda and the Borax, stir them in the bucket. *

Step nine: By now the Fels-Naptha should be   melted. Pour it into the 5 gallon bucket and stir. 

Step ten: Add hot tap water to the 5 gallon bucket, filling it to the top. (Leave room for moving it so it
doesn't spill)

Step eleven: After stirring the mixture, put a lid on the bucket, and let it stand over night to thicken.

Step twelve: Once you have waited for the mixture to thicken over night, and it has thickened, stir it up again to loosen it up. Now you can enjoy using it! 

To use: Be sure to dilute half (1 part) soap & half (1 part) water. I use an old fabric softener bottle and dilute it. 

*You can add the Oxi Clean to your mixture. To do so, you would add a 1/2 cup when you add the Super Washing Soda and the Borax.

For my family of 6, this 5 gallon bucket of laundry soap (which turns out to 10 gallons once you have diluted it) lasts us 8 months. I do at least 22 loads of laundry a week, so this is astounding! 

This will make 10 gallons of laundry soap. Each time you fill your bottle, you will dilute it again equal parts laundry soap to equal parts water!

For top loading machines use -5/8 cup per load (180 loads)

For front loading machines use -1/4 cup per load (640 loads)

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