DIY Homemade Laundry Soap

// November 19th, 2011 // Life in General, Money Matters

I was going to wait a bit to post this, trying to keep these activities in chronological order, but this topic got so much response on my personal Facebook page that I decided to go ahead and write about it now.

I’m kind of a closet hippie. I mean, I would be a hippie if it didn’t seem like so much work. Also? I hate the smell of patchouli, so I’d never make a very authentic hippie (although it has been so long since I shaved my legs I may be a little closer to authentic than I would hope).

I’m also kind of a cheapskate. I’m not a very good cheapskate, though, because sometimes, it’s a lot of work, too. Finding sales, clipping coupons, driving from store to store . . . occasionally (lately), I’ve just paid way too much for stuff because it was easier.

I guess I’d be a better tree-hugger and a better frugalista if I were not so lazy.

Occasionally, however, I find a project that appeals to both the green side and the frugal side. If it’s not too much work, or if it’s worth the savings, I’m all for it. Homemade Laundry Detergent and Homemade Dishwasher Detergent happened to fit the bill.

I’ve been toying around with the idea of making my own laundry soap and dish soap, but I wasn’t sure how well it would work, and I wasn’t sure it would be worth the effort, and I wasn’t sure it would save enough money to make it worth my while. I finally broke down and tried it, and I’m sold.

Now, I can generally buy laundry detergent for about $0.06/load. One of the sites I looked at for homemade laundry detergent did the cost breakdown at $o.01/load. As much laundry as I do, a nickel a load savings isn’t bad. If it were a lot of effort, I might not be willing to make the switch, but it’s easy, and I don’t have to clip coupons or wait for a sale to get laundry detergent at a price I’m willing to pay.

Here’s the “recipe” I used for homemade laundry detergent (found on Frugally Green via Pinterest):

1 bar Ivory soap (the recipe says you can use 1/3 bar Fels Naptha or use Ivory, Octagon, or Zote. I didn’t find Fels Naptha.)
1/2 c. Borax
1/2 c. Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
6 c. water, plus 4 c. water, plus one gallon and 6 c. water

Grate the soap. If you use Ivory, you can microwave if for about a minute and a half, and it fluffs up–fast, but maybe didn’t dissolve quite as well as grating it. Still, cool science experiment:

Dissolve the grated soap in 6 c. water over low heat. Add the Borax and Washing Soda and stir until dissolved and thickened. Add 4 c. hot tap water to a large bucket (I used a 5 gallon bucket, which was too big, but a 2 gallon might be a hair too small). Pour the soap mixture onto the hot water and stir. Then add a gallon-plus-6-cups hot water and stir again. Let sit overnight.

The next morning, your soap will be gelled somewhat. I’ve heard everything from “egg drop soup” consistency to thick and clumpy as normal. Mine had a thick layer on top and was watery on bottom. I stirred it up and it dissolved pretty well, but I still had clumps. Since I’m ~~lazy~~ efficient, I broke out the electric mixer and blended it a little.

See Frugally Green for a great step-by-step tutorial with pictures.

I poured mine into gallon containers with pour spouts.

It made about a gallon and a half, plus I have Ivory, Borax, and Super Washing Soda left over to make at least three more batches. Use 1/2 cup per load. It does not suds, and is supposed to also be good for HE machines.

I washed several loads of laundry with this yesterday, and it seemed to work just fine. If you prefer scented soap, I’m sure you could add fragrance, but I didn’t bother. It just smells clean, which is what I prefer. Also, thanks to discussion on the Nix9to5 Facebook page, I added 1/4 cup white vinegar to the wash to act as fabric softener and to brighten whites and any one of a million other things vinegar is supposed to help with–and no, it doesn’t stink, which is what I was afraid of.

Homemade Laundry Soap is a keeper. I’ll definitely make it again, and it may be the only laundry soap I use from here on out.