How to Make Your Own Natural Laundry Soap

There are so many benefits to making your own laundry soap. Store bought soaps are so expensive and contain some ingredients that are not even necessary to really clean your clothes. You can save a lot of money by making your own. So if you are on a budget then this is a really good way to save a little extra cash. You can choose just about any fragrance you would like by adding your choice of essential oils. If you have sensitive skin this is another way to be sure that you are avoiding all those irritants by choosing your own all natural ingredients. I tried this out for fun and I loved it. I got the basic liquid recipe from the family homestead website. I also got the dry basic dry detergent recipe from the soap queen website.

This soap turns out as kind of a gel liquid mix and you only need about a fourth cup per load of laundry but the recommended amount is half a cup per load.

What you need

• One third of a bar of laundry soap The original recipe suggests Fels Naptha but I prefer getting all natural soap from a health store
• Half a cup of washing soda
• Half a cup of borax
• Two gallon bucket
• Cheese grater
• Medium sized saucepan
• A lot of water
• A large spoon to stir

What to do next

• Use the cheese grater to grate the soap
• Put six cups of water into the pan with the soap
• Melt the soap and water
• Add the borax and the washing soda
• Let the two ingredients melt into the mixture
• Let the mixture set while you put four cups of hot water into the bucket
• Now you can put the soap mixture into the bucket
• Next add one gallon if water to the bucket
• Now you can add six more cups of water
• Mix well and let the detergent set for a day

This formula works great but my family works and plays hard. This means that our laundry is dirty and stinky. This calls for a little extra cleaning power to get rid of stains. I also like to add more ingredients for some fragrance.

To get rid of stains

• Lemon juice
• Citric acid
• Apple cider vinegar

I got these ideas from what I usually use to get rid of stains at home. Since they work for stains I knew that they would add a good boost to the cleaning power of the detergent. The acid from the lemon juice and citric acid has really awesome stain removing qualities. Vinegar also is great for removing stains. I have also heard that adding a cup of oxy clean is another way to give the detergent a boost but I prefer the natural ingredients. Adding a cup or two should add the trick but feel free to experiment to find what works best for you.

Essential oils for fragrance

• Lavender
• Lilly
• Rose oil
• Lemon
• mint

There are endless kinds of essential oils you can use for fragrance. These were just a few that I picked out. The amount you use is also really up to you. I played it by ear I would add a few drops then smell the detergent and then keep adding until I was satisfied with the smell of the detergent. You can even mix it up a bit by adding more than one oil. Using combinations can be fun and can give your detergent a unique and original scent.

If you prefer dry detergent this is a good recipe to try.

What you will need

• One cup washing soda
• One cup shredded soap
• Half cup of vinegar (optional)
• Quarter cup citric acid
• A large plastic container

What to do next

• Put the soap and washing soda into the container
• Add the acid and citric acid
• Close the container and shake well
• Use a quarter cup to half cup per load

This is a great dry recipe. You can add any fragrance you would like. The vinegar and citric acid really work wonders when removing dirt and grime.