For the past year or so I have been making laundry detergent. I have friends who have been making it for years, so the idea was not foreign to me. What kept me from doing it before was the fact that some of the recipes I had read were more complicated and did not seem to last long, as well being as expensive to make as the detergent I was using. I have not done the math yet, but I know this is considerably cheaper than my former detergent, Sun. Okay, to be honest I probably will never do the math, let's face it, I am an English major. The ingredients and my bucket and lid came to just at $11 and all of the ingredients, except the Fels Naptha, make multiple batches. It was really easy, taking less time than I imagined, which had been another deterrent in making it. I mean, come on, if it was going to take three hours I might make it the first time, but I know myself, it would not be something I would do on a consistent basis. Michelle Duggar's book, The Duggars: 20 and Counting changed my mind. Here is her recipe:
1 Fels Naptha soap bar, grated
1 cup WASHING soda
1/2 cup borax
I have adapted her direction:
Grate the soap into a medium saucepan.
(Grated soap? I don't think so, unless it is in the food processor! I grate mine in the processor, then pulsed it until it was the consistency was as close to powder as it gets. The soap grates better if it is opened and allowed to harden for a week or two beforehand. As soon as I buy my soap for the next batch I open the end of it. I put it on the list as soon as I make soap so I am never left without ingredients.)
Cover with hot water. Cook over medium low heat, stirring continually, until soap completely dissolves.
(Note: I would reserve a pan for this use since metal can retain smell and taste. I opted to put mine in a large Pyrex measuring bowl with a handle and cook it in short bursts of time in the microwave. It has to be watched carefully so it does not overflow Glass does not usually retain smell and taste and I didn't want to ruin one of my pans. I used an oven pan liner in my small crock pot the most recent time I made soap. It worked great and only took about an hour to melt. Since this is not the use according to directions, please use your own judgment.)
Put washing soda and borax in a 5-gallon bucket. Pour in the hot, melted soap mixture. Stir well, until all the powder is dissolved. Fill the bucket to the top with hot tap water. Stir, cover securely, and let set overnight.The next morning, stir the mixture.
(Note: You can use a five gallon paint stirrer, but we have a paint stirrer that attaches to a drill. It does a great job. We had this anyway from DIY projects.)
Mix equal amounts of soap concentrate and water in a smaller laundry detergent dispenser or container. Shake before using. 1 cup for top-loading machines and 1/3 cup for front-loading.
(Note: I am going to vary again here. I see no reason to add water at this stage since it will be going into the washer directly. I am just going to use a 1/2 cup in my top loader. That should be the same as using the new ultra concentrates. Shake well before pouring.)
At first I set my old laundry bottle on a tray beside my homemade detergent and using a funnel and soup ladle I filled it. You have to stir the bucket each time you remove detergent from it and shake the bottle each time you dispense from it. It is a very gelatinous mixture, reminiscent of something Nickelodeon would package and sell as a bodily fluid to gross people out. Now I just stir it with the extra long paint stirrer every few days and just get it straight from the bucket.
The detergent smells exactly like the Fels Naptha soap, which is a little medicinal, but I cannot smell it after I wash with it. Essential oil could be added if scent matters. I have sensitive skin so that is not an issue for me.
I have been grating Fels Naptha and using it as a laundry additive for several years-even before I made detergent. I also have a reserve bar that I use to spot treat stains. It is incredible.
Here is the breakdown of what I bought where and how much it cost.
Fels Naptha soap Yeagers on Rogers Ave $1.27
Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda Yeagers $2.97
Borax (had it at Yeager-cheaper at Wal-Mart on Rogers) $3.36
5 gallon bucket with lid Lowe's $3.72
5 gallon sized paint stirrer- already had.
I have tried doubling this (then you would only use 1/4 cup unmixed, 1/2 cup mixed with water.) but have had problems with the ingredients not melting as well and coming to a pure liquid mixture. I am going back to my original to see if I have the same problems. Perhaps I was just in a hurry and did not let it melt well enough.
1 Fels Naptha soap bar, grated
1 cup WASHING soda
1/2 cup borax
I have adapted her direction:
Grate the soap into a medium saucepan.
(Grated soap? I don't think so, unless it is in the food processor! I grate mine in the processor, then pulsed it until it was the consistency was as close to powder as it gets. The soap grates better if it is opened and allowed to harden for a week or two beforehand. As soon as I buy my soap for the next batch I open the end of it. I put it on the list as soon as I make soap so I am never left without ingredients.)
Cover with hot water. Cook over medium low heat, stirring continually, until soap completely dissolves.
(Note: I would reserve a pan for this use since metal can retain smell and taste. I opted to put mine in a large Pyrex measuring bowl with a handle and cook it in short bursts of time in the microwave. It has to be watched carefully so it does not overflow Glass does not usually retain smell and taste and I didn't want to ruin one of my pans. I used an oven pan liner in my small crock pot the most recent time I made soap. It worked great and only took about an hour to melt. Since this is not the use according to directions, please use your own judgment.)
Put washing soda and borax in a 5-gallon bucket. Pour in the hot, melted soap mixture. Stir well, until all the powder is dissolved. Fill the bucket to the top with hot tap water. Stir, cover securely, and let set overnight.The next morning, stir the mixture.
(Note: You can use a five gallon paint stirrer, but we have a paint stirrer that attaches to a drill. It does a great job. We had this anyway from DIY projects.)
Mix equal amounts of soap concentrate and water in a smaller laundry detergent dispenser or container. Shake before using. 1 cup for top-loading machines and 1/3 cup for front-loading.
(Note: I am going to vary again here. I see no reason to add water at this stage since it will be going into the washer directly. I am just going to use a 1/2 cup in my top loader. That should be the same as using the new ultra concentrates. Shake well before pouring.)
At first I set my old laundry bottle on a tray beside my homemade detergent and using a funnel and soup ladle I filled it. You have to stir the bucket each time you remove detergent from it and shake the bottle each time you dispense from it. It is a very gelatinous mixture, reminiscent of something Nickelodeon would package and sell as a bodily fluid to gross people out. Now I just stir it with the extra long paint stirrer every few days and just get it straight from the bucket.
The detergent smells exactly like the Fels Naptha soap, which is a little medicinal, but I cannot smell it after I wash with it. Essential oil could be added if scent matters. I have sensitive skin so that is not an issue for me.
I have been grating Fels Naptha and using it as a laundry additive for several years-even before I made detergent. I also have a reserve bar that I use to spot treat stains. It is incredible.
Here is the breakdown of what I bought where and how much it cost.
Fels Naptha soap Yeagers on Rogers Ave $1.27
Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda Yeagers $2.97
Borax (had it at Yeager-cheaper at Wal-Mart on Rogers) $3.36
5 gallon bucket with lid Lowe's $3.72
5 gallon sized paint stirrer- already had.
I have tried doubling this (then you would only use 1/4 cup unmixed, 1/2 cup mixed with water.) but have had problems with the ingredients not melting as well and coming to a pure liquid mixture. I am going back to my original to see if I have the same problems. Perhaps I was just in a hurry and did not let it melt well enough.
4 comments:
I thought you had been making it longer than that. I remember coming over one day and looking at it. It was like the cornstarch mixture that you can slap and not sink in.
Maybe a little over a year? I cannot remember exactly. That is why I stopped doubling it. I had to dissolve it in hot water to use it!
I want to make soap now!
Well if I can do it anyone can!! I marked my calendar this time to see how long it lasts us.
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