The Domestic Corner: Homemade Laundry Soap

And here's the debut domestic! This isn't something I'll do on a regular basis, but when I come across something awesome and domestic, it'll land in here!

We have eleven people milling around our house on a continual basis that we refer to, lovingly, as our family. In any case, they accumulate a lot of dirty clothing, which we refer to, aptly, as laundry. I've had the honor to be the family laundress for many years and have, in those years, consumed countless bottles of thick, syrupy detergent.

Until I started my caregiving job, the idea of making my own laundry soap hadn't yet occurred to me. But the woman I work for makes hers and it was simple and very inexpensive. I thought, why not give it a try?

Before I go on I will say that we have a front load, high-efficiency washer that specifically says you should only use high efficiency detergent. This soap works in our washer and in my employer's top load washer as well.

First of all, you need these ingredients:

20 Mule Team Borax powder
Arm and Hammer Washing Soda
Any kind of bar soap (I prefer to use Ivory with aloe because Ivory is pure and it smells amazing!)

And you'll need these utensils:

Box grater
Large saucepan
Gallon measure
Spoon
You will also need (not pictured) a five gallon bucket (preferably with a lid*)

Now here's what you do:

Boil 4 cups of water in the saucepan.

Grate 1 bar of soap

When the water is boiling, add the soap one tablespoon at a time, stirring until dissolved between each addition. 

When all the soap has melted into the water (you'll probably end up with a few stray pieces - no worries! Those can be strained out later) let it sit as you put 3 gallons of cold water into your five gallon bucket.

Pour the soap mixture into the bucket and stir. 

Then add 1 cup of the washing soda

1/2 cup of the borax

and stir.

I usually like to get my arm in there and squish the lumps out. The borax tends to be incredibly lumpy anyway, so rubbing it around in your fingers is a good idea. It's also pretty fun!

When everything is satisfactorily stirred up, cover the bucket and let it sit for 24 hours. 

Then stir it again. Now would be a good time to pull out any lumps of hard soap that have risen to the top. 

Let it sit for 24 more hours (it should look cloudy and slightly lumpy).

Use about 1 cupful for each load of laundry. 

I just let ours sit in the bucket and give it a stir before use. However, if your bucket is in the basement and your washer is upstairs (don't know how often this happens) you can pour it into a bottle and replenish the supply when it gets low. 

*If you don't have a cover for your bucket, don't worry! You can cover the top with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or even a board!

Till next time!