Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap

 Further proof that I can make what I pin! That and I was running out of laundry soap. :P A sweet lady from our community came over to show Mary how to make homemade soap a while ago, and also brought a recipe for homemade laundry detergent. I know it works, because she makes the stuff for her family. And I saw a pin on Pinterest about it, too. So with my lovely Amazon Prime I ordered Borax, washing soda, and laundry soap and set to work.

 I used the recipe that our local lady had used, but I tweaked it - since I didn't want to be making 10 gallons at a time! O.o I have yet to use it when it's fully cooled (and gelled) but I hope the slightly-more-concentrated soap will still work. If not....I guess I'll be scrounging more apple juice jugs from the Big House's recycle bin. ;) Here's my (tweaked) recipe:

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap - Top Loading Machine

(Makes 3 Gallons)

2 cups hot tap water

½ Fels-Naptha laundry soap bar

½ cup washing soda (sodium carbonate)

¼ cup Borax

-Grate soap and add to a 12qt. stockpot with water. Stir continually over med-low heat until soap is dissolved and melted.

-Fill the pot half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda, and Borax. Stir well until all the powder is dissolved. Fill to top with more hot tap water. Stir.

-Fill three gallon jugs (I used clean apple and grape juice jugs) with soap mixture. Top off each with hot water.

-Shake before each use.

Makes: 3 gallons

-        -  ½ cup per large load

Here's the original recipe from Mrs. Mullinex:

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap (Front or Top Loading Machines)

4 cups hot tap water

1 Fels-Naptha laundry soap bar

1 cup washing soda (sodium carbonate)

½ cup Borax

-Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over med-low heat until soap is dissolved and melted.

-Fill a 5-gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda, and Borax. Stir well until all the powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot tap water. Stir, cover, and let sit overnight to thicken.

-Stir, and fill a used clean laundry soap dispenser half full of soap mixture, and then fill the rest of the way with hot water.

-Shake before each use. (It will gel.)

                -optional: you can add 10-15 drops of essential oils per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled.

                -ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree, lemon, etc.

Makes: 10 gallons

-Top Load = 5/8 cup per load

-Front Load = 1/4 cup per load

I think I'm becoming that woman. You know, the one who sees other people doing cool stuff and blogging about it and then she does the cool stuff and blogs about it, too. It is a good thing, I think. Maybe. At least I have my laundry soap. :)