Save Lots of $$$$ and Make your own Liquid Laundry Soap.

The Early years...

--I saved the tiny remains of bar soaps for years, in an empty mayonnaise jar. Every now and then I took out the jar and thought... "What can I do with all these tiny things?"

One day I put the contents of the jar in a sauce pan, added water and melted the soap. ( I was living in an apartment and had to use the washer/dryer that was located in the basement of the apartment building.) I stirred the soap until the soap was melted, however, there were too many lumps that did not dissolve, so I mashed them with a potato masher and that seemed to work OK. I let the mixture cool and then took it down to see how it would work on a small load of laundry. The mixture had a nice scent and did clean the clothes but some of the white clothes weren't as clean as I liked them to be. It took me a few more years, experimenting to come up with a method that worked the way I wanted it to.

In another jar of tiny bar soap remains, that I was collecting, I had a small bar of Fels- Naptha soap that I used for many years to rub on stains before I put the stained item into the wash. It worked ALL THE TIME. So I went out and searched the grocery stores for a bar of Fels-Naptha Soap. (This is the bar soap that our Great-Grandmothers used on their Washboards.) I was so grateful that the Dial Company still made Fels-Naptha Bar Soap. It cost around $1.62 including tax for a 5 1/2 OZ. Bar.

Adding Laundry Boosters.

Being a big fan of Borax and Arm and Hammer products helped me improve the liquid laundry soap. I used Borax in every wash load, however, the powder didn't always dissolve. I used Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda powder for washing white clothes because I didn't like bleach. After shaving down a bar of the Fels-Naptha soap, melting it in water on the stove I started to add the borax and washing soda. The mixture was too thick. So I kept adding more and more hot water, until I was filling an empty Joint Compound bucket that made enough liquid laundry soap for 2 people that lasted for 3 months! The savings were amazing... It only cost under $20 for Liquid Laundry Soap for 2 people for the entire YEAR!

Liquid Laundry Soap Recipe:

Step 1. Grate a 5.5 oz. bar of Fels Naphta Soap (grated with a vegetable peeler, takes about 10 minutes)

--I start from the smaller end of the bar because when I tried the longer end I found that the soap was falling all over the place. Like I said, it should only take you about 10 minutes to grate the entire bar. I grate the soap into a basin or on some newspaper, when my husband is watching a cowboy show, (I can only take so many cowboy shows, seems like the same story with different actors most of the time.) I always grate the soap the day before I want to make the laundry soap.

You will need 1 1/2 cups of Borax And 1 1/2 cups Arm & Hammer Super WASHING SODA (DO NOT MAKE THE MISTAKE THAT I DID BY USING BAKING SODA... BAKING SODA WILL NOT WORK!)

You will also need a Bucket that will hold 5 Gallons of Very Hot Tap Water (cool or cold water WILL NOT WORK!)

Step 2. In a 6 quart dutch oven (or sauce pan) put 1 gallon of very hot tap water. Add the grated soap, Put the heat on Med./High on top of the stove.

Step 3. When the soap is dissolved, add the Borax and Super Washing Soda. Stir until dissolved.

Step 4. In a 5 gallon bucket add 3 gallons of very hot tap water. Then add the soap mixture form the stove. Fill the rest of the bucket with very hot tap water. Leave 2 inches of space between the top of the bucket and the lid. *(At this point you can add a mixture of alcohol and essential oil but this is optional.) Give the bucket a stir with a large clean stick or spoon. About 10-15 stirs should do it. Put the lid on. Wait overnight and the next day the laundry soap should have a gel texture. You can adjust the amount of borax if this is too thick. The borax is what makes it gel up.

*You can even use vanilla, coconut, almond or any other food extracts to the final step if you want to use up some extracts that have been hanging around in your baking closet to give the soap a nice scent.

I give my homemade liquid soap away for gifts and do not use any essential oils or extracts because it has a nice, clean scent all by itself.

Start saving Money, Time and Your Aching Back!

It's true... we only spend under $20 for the whole YEAR on Laundry Soap. I use 1 Cup for Regular Wash Loads and 2 Cups for Heavily Soiled or Large Wash Loads.

This Soap is SAFE for Septic Systems and those NEW Front Loading Washing Machines. Adjust the amount of soap you use because all washers vary. Just think... No More Lugging those Jugs of Laundry Soap up and down steps or in and out of the car any more... Your Back Will Thank You.

Until we meet again... Francesca27