Step 2: Grate the bar of soap and add to a pot of hot water. I don't think the pot we used has ever cooked soap before. And I doubt the cheese grater has ever grated soap, but at least I didn't have to wash it. ... Kidding.
Step 3: As you grate the soap, stir and stir and stir until it dissolves in the water and looks like so.
Step 4: Fill the bucket halfway with water, then add the soap mixture, borax and washing soda. You stir some more, being careful not to leave any chunks of the ingredients.
Step 5: Fill the rest of the bucket with water, stir some more, secure the lid and leave it overnight. The next day, it's a gel, so you stir some more before using it. (There's a lot of stirring in this recipe.)
Step 6: For every cup of the detergent, you add a cup of water. We figured the easiest thing to do is fill an empty detergent bottle halfway with the homemade detergent, then fill the rest up with water. Shake it up, then add a lid full of detergent to your laundry. The water doesn't get sudsy, but the laundry smells fresh and clean. You can add some essential oils, but we didn't.
Step 7: Fold clean clothes!
Here's the recipe:
Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap
4 cups Hot Tap Water
1 bar Fels-Naptha Soap
1 cup Arm & Hammer Super
Washing Soda**
½ cup borax
Grate bar of soap and add to
saucepan with water. Stir continually over med-low heat until soap dissolves
and is melted.
Fill 5 gallon bucket half full
of tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir until dissolved.
Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to
thicken.
To use: Dilute concentrate
mixture 1 to 1 with water. Shake well before each use, mixture will gel.
Optional: Add 10-15 drops of
essential oil per 2 gallons once soap has cooled. (lavender, rosemary, tea tree
oil)
HE machines ¼ - ½ cup per load
Standard machines ¾ cup per
load
** must be “super washing soda” baking soda will not work nor will
Arm & Hammer detergent.
