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Homemade Laundry Soap

I've been concerned about chemicals in my home for some time now. I felt like I didn't have much of a say in the matter until I started reading some wonderful blogs like Sutton Grace and heard about a lot of people making their own. The ingredients are pretty simple. Because our gray water goes into a septic tank I have to be very careful about what I put down our drains. All of the homemade laundry detergent ingredients are very septic tank friendly.

First, start with a bar of Fels-Naptha. I bought mine at Taylor's Do It Yourself which is a small hometown type of hardware store.


I grated it with my handy grater that used to belong to my grandma.


Then I combined the grated soap with some Borax and Washing Soda. I got the Borax at the grocery store (I've used it for years as a laundry booster). I had to drive to a Kroger to find the Washing Soda. It's not the same as Baking Soda from Arm and Hammer. I found it in the laundry detergent isle.



Here's the recipe:
1 cup grated Fels-Naptha soap
1/2 cup borax
1/2 cup washing soda
Mix together and use 3 Tbl. for a large load of laundry. I made a triple recipe and store it in a plastice container with an old measuring tablespoon in the container.






So far, I've washed 3 loads with this detergent. I'm pleased with the scent (clean) and the cleaning ability. I have not washed anything really super dirty yet but the gardening season is just starting.


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Comments

  1. LottieMarch 9, 2010 at 7:57 PM

    I'm glad you posted this! I've always wanted to make my own laundry soap, not for financial reasons or environmental reasons, but just for feelings of self-sufficency. I use Gain or Tide now. Ha!
    Lottie

    ReplyDelete
  2. KellyMarch 17, 2010 at 7:53 AM

    Wow! I am so glad I discovered your blog this morning, I have gained several helpful tips already! I have been working at eliminating chemicals from our home, too, and already have the borax, but wasn't sure what to combine it with, so thanks for the recipe:-)
    Have you used this in a front load machine by chance?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Tidy Brown WrenMarch 18, 2010 at 5:11 AM

    I don't have a front loading machine, (yet) but when researching recipes to use I came across several people who use this recipe in a front loading machine.

    ReplyDelete

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