DIY Laundry Soap

Did you know  you can make your own laundry soap? Seriously! If you do it right, it can save you quite a bit, and it’s easy!

You can make liquid or powder laundry soap, and I have been dying to try making a powder soap for months but had to use up the rest of the soap I got on clearance. When Kim posted the recipe she found, I knew that was the one I wanted to try! I have been using this homemade detergent for 2 weeks now and am very pleased with the results! It cleans just as well as store bought detergent and took 20 minutes to make!
All you need are a box of Borax, a box of washing soda (some say baking soda is fine, others online are very opposed to it), and a bar of Fels Naptha soap (I have read that a normal bar of soap works too!).
Sidenote! Fels Naptha can be rubbed on stained clothing prior to washing to remove stains or other nastiness like ring around the collar! Thank you mother-in-law!
Grate your bar of Fels Naptha, or stick it in your food processor.
Mix 1 Cup Borax with 1 Cup washing soda and your shredded Fels Naptha and it’s ready to use. You will only need 2 Tablespoons of this detergent for a large load, and even less for smaller loads.

When you wash is done, your clothes might smell soapy, but the smell is totally gone once they are dry! This detergent will last quite a while and you can save even more by going to the Borax website and signing up, where they will provide you with a coupon!

You will have plenty of Borax and washing soda left over to make several more batches!
If you can’t find any of these, check a larger Walmart or the top shelf of the laundry aisle in your grocery store.

All three of these products have multiple uses such as arts and crafts or household cleaning, so I really don’t feel like any of these will go to waste in my household!

UPDATE (1/1/11) I just barely ran out of this batch of soap, after 2 months of about 5 loads of laundry a week. I almost gasped out loud when I walked down the laundry aisle to buy more Fels Naptha and saw how much laundry soap can cost!

I’m linking up to Homemaker Mondays @ 11th Heaven’s Homemaking Haven, Anything Related @ All Thingz Related, Market Yourself Monday @ Sumo’s Sweet Life, and  Penny Pinching Party Wednesday @ Thrifty Home.