Laundry Soap Tutorial

I've had such an overwhelming number of requests for directions to make my laundry soap. that it seems the easiest thing to do is show you step by step how-to here online. I've been making my own laundry soap for 8 years now and absolutely cannot fathom how much money we have saved, all by spending 20 minutes making soap about 4 times a year. Your need may be greater or less depending upon your family, but keep in mind that I have 3 girls who change clothes about 25 times (okay, really about 4 times) a day and that little man is in cloth diapers. We use cloth napkins and cloth baby wipes. In short, we do a lot of laundry every day. So I make 5 gallons of laundry soap every couple of months or so and we're good for quite a while. No one, in our house full of sensitive skin, is bothered or in any way allergic to the soap, either, which in my book is a huge plus!
I'm often asked how much per load my soap costs. Quite frankly, I've never bothered with the math before, so lets assume you're buying a 55 oz box of super washing soda for around $3 and a 76 oz box of borax for around $4 and your fels-naptha for $1.08 like I do,and you make a 5 gallon bucket at a time, which is 160 loads. You use 12 oz each of the soda and borax plus the entire bar of soap, so one 5 gallon bucket costs $2.39. That means that each of the 160 loads (using 1/2 cup per load) in that bucket costs a mere 1.4 cents.
So, lets get on with the how-to!

Grate your entire bar of fels-naptha, making sure to break down any chunks that may be left over. (You want it all to melt smoothly and evenly.  Fill a dutch oven or large pan about half way with warm water and place it on your stove over medium heat.

Add your grated soap, stirring for a moment until melted.

Add in 1 1/2 cups of washing soda and 1 1/2 cups of borax, stirring to keep your mixture an even consistency. Once it is even, lower the heat to low-medium and let the soap sit and thicken.  The mixture will not thicken as evenly if you continue to stir. Do keep a close eye on it though...depending upon your stove, you may need to adjust the temperature.  You do want the soap to melt, but not to bubble. Should it begin to bubble quickly lower the temperature, as it will easily foam up and out of your pan. (Should this happen, though, no worries. Your soap will still work, and once you clean up the mess your stovetop will sparkle like never before! I definitely speak from experience on this one!)

Meanwhile, heat a kettle full of water to boiling. In about 20 minutes your mixture should have a honey like consistency and be ready to mix with water. Add the boiling water to your 5 gallon bucket.

Then add your soap and stir well.

Continue to add cold water, stirring regularly, until the bucket is full.

Your soap will get a bit foamy from adding all of the water, but most of the bubbles will stir right back in. I like to break up any clumps that form at this time to help the end product have a more even gel consistency, but this isn't essential. (Your soap will do the job whether it is gel like, runny, or lumpy. Again, no worries.) Leave the top of off the bucket for 24 hours for the soap to cure, then make sure to keep the lid on tight after that, as it will evaporate a bit if left open too long. 

Ta-da!

Some people choose to add essential oils for scent. When I have it around, I add in about 1/2 cup of liquid peppermint castille soap. (Okay, so then it costs, what, 1.8 cents a load?  I can live with that,) for even better stain fighting power.

Let me just add that in the last 8 years I have bought laundry soap at the store twice. (Both times I was feeling lazy and didn't want to make soap that day!) I bought very good soap, too...and I was shocked at how much dirtier my kids clothes were when they came out of the wash. (Not only that, but the perfume gave me a headache and I had to rewash all of my clothes once I made soap a few days later.) This stuff is cheaper, healthier, and works better.  You can't go wrong. Use 1/3 to 1/2 cup of soap per lad of laundry. (I keep a smaller container of soap in my little laundry room and refill if from the bucket in the garage as needed. Whatever works for you.

Happy laundry day! (Okay, that may be a stretch. But you get the idea.)

Okay, some answers to some FAQ:

1. No, the consistency does not really matter, it will work whether gel like or runny.

2.No, it DOES NOT foam. The things that make your store-bought detergent have that nice, pretty foam in your washer are also the same things that strip away color, causing your clothes to fade. This soap will not cause your clothing to fade.

3. I use dryer balls in lieu of  fabric softener. They are chemical free, work like a charm, and I've been using them for about 7 years now. I was very skeptical at first, but quickly go over it since my clothes are soft, my towels are fluffy, and I've never once had static in my laundry since I started using them. I buy a two pack at Dollar Tree and they last for a year or two before they crack and need replaced. 

Any other questions, please feel free to ask and I will answer to the best of my ability. I'm so glad to hear from those of you who have gotten back to me with your success stories as well. Way to go!