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I’ve been making homemade laundry soap on and off for over 20 years now. I don’t always make homemade laundry soap, but when I do, this is my favorite recipe. When I buy laundry detergent instead, I wait for a good sale and stack it with a coupon – I rarely pay more than $2 a bottle.
This recipe makes 5 Gallons, it’s easy to make and use. You can cut the recipe in half if you don’t want to make so much.
Homemade Laundry Soap
What you need:
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- Large Saucepan – 4 cups boiling water
- Cheese grater or food processor
- 1 Bar Fels-Naptha soap or approx. 5 oz. Zote Soap, Castile, or Ivory Soap
- 1 cup Arm and Hammer Super washing soda
- 1 cup Borax
- 5-gallon bucket / Hot Water
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INSTRUCTIONS
-Heat 4 cups of water until boiling.
-While the water is heating, grate your preferred bar soap ( use a cheese grater or food processor) and add to the boiling water. Stir continuously over medium/low heat until the soap dissolves and is melted. I have used both Fels-Naptha and the white Zote soap, and they both work well. The Zote soap is softer, easier to cut, and melts faster in boiling water. You can also purchase the Zote soap in flakes, so you don’t have to grate it.
-Fill a 5-gallon bucket half full with HOT tap water, washing soda, and borax, and stir well until all powder is dissolved. Stir in the hot, melted soap mixture.
-Fill the bucket the rest of the way with hot water, stir, cover, and let sit overnight to thicken.
-The next day, it should be lumpy with a partial gel-like consistency; stir well. The finished soap will not be a solid gel. It will be more of a watery gel.
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You can add a few drops of essential oil for scent if you like. Another option is to add 1 cup of Oxi-Clean as a cleaning booster.
Fill old laundry detergent containers, clean milk jugs, or whatever empty containers you prefer.
-Shake well before each use. Use about 1/4 to 1/2 cups per load. Safe for HE Machines. The requirement for HE machines is that it is a low-sudsing, which this is. If you have hard water, you may want to add white vinegar to your rinse cycle. Just add 1/4 cup to your softener cup.
Homemade Laundry Soap
Ingredients
- 4 cups boiling water
- 1 Bar Fels-Naptha soap or approx. 5 oz. Zote Soap, Castile, or Ivory Soap
- 1 cup Arm and Hammer Super washing soda
- 1 cup Borax
- 5-gallon bucket / Hot Water
- essential oil for scent (optional)
Instructions
- Heat 4 cups of water until boiling.
- While the water is heating Grate your Preferred bar soap ( use a cheese grater or food processor) and add to the boiling water. Stir continuously over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.
- Fill your 5-gallon bucket half full with HOT tap water, add washing soda, and borax, stir, add melted soap mixture, and stir well until all powder is dissolved.
- Fill the bucket the rest of the way to the top with hot water, stir, cover, and let sit overnight to thicken.
- The next day it should be lumpy with a partial gel-like consistency, Stir well and fill old laundry detergent containers, cleaned milk jugs, or whatever empty containers you prefer. You can add a few drops of essential oil for scent if you like.
- Shake well before each use. Use approx. 1/4 cup per load. If you have hard water you may want to add 1/4 cup white vinegar to your rinse cycle.
- Add to laundry to help remove tough stains, deodorize and freshen
- Wipe on counters and appliances to remove grease and grime and make dishes sparkling clean
- Removes soap scum, hard water deposits, and dirt
- 20 Mule Team Borax is an amazing, all-natural mineral found in all corners of the globe
- Families have been using Borax for all sorts of things such as cleaning, laundry, preserving flowers, DIY crafting, and more!
- 100% Pure Borax Powder (Sodium Tetraborate): Naturally sourced and made in the USA for trusted quality.
- Chemical-Free Cleaning: Free from phosphates, chlorine, and harmful additives—safe for your home and family.
- Multi-Purpose Household Cleaner: Perfect for tackling kitchen grease, bathroom grime, and stubborn stains.
- Natural Laundry Booster: Enhances detergent power for brighter, fresher clothes; ideal for heavy-duty cleaning.
- Carpet and Upholstery Freshener: Effectively removes stains and odors for a revitalized look and feel.
- Fels Naptha Laundry Soap Bar & Stain Remover
- For a delicate wash
- Pink laundry soap with a minimum fatty acid content of (66%)
- 7.0 ounces bars
- One 55 oz box of ARM & HAMMER Super Washing Soda Household Cleaner and Laundry Booster
- 100% fragrance-free and phosphate-free washing soda neutralizes and eliminates odors naturally without the use of heavy fragrances, leaving a long-lasting fresh and neutral clean scent
- As a laundry additive, it improves liquid laundry detergent performance by up to 15% (1), giving you cleaner, whiter and brighter laundry and upholstery (1) For mustard and blood stains vs leading value detergent alone
- Great general purpose cleaner for a wide variety of indoor and outdoor hard surfaces like sinks, stainless steel, bathtubs, garage floors and more, a must-have addition to your household cleaning supplies
- Use as a silver polish to remove tarnish from silver, gold, brass or copper to keep your jewelry, silverware and precious items looking their best
- BUILT TOUGH - Made with durable thick plastic to resist cracks, this large pail is designed to get the job done for housework, yardwork and the back of your work truck. Use it for your cleaning supplies, as a car wash bucket, mop bucket, and more.
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- EASY TO CLEAN - The durable plastic bucket is made of no-stick, sleek plastic material that makes cleaning up this 5 gallon bucket easier than ever. Rinse out paint, dirt, soap, or anything your project includes so you can use it on the next project. Nest buckets together for storage when not in use allowing you to utilize your valuable space when needed.
- PERFECT SIZE TO STORE - The round shape and folding handle make this five gallon bucket the perfect sized container to store when not in use. Easily maximize your space by nesting multiple buckets together to free up space in your closet or garage.
- VERSATILE USES – Use this bucket for water, tools, gardening supplies, and paint. Designate it as an ice bucket, food storage bucket, or dog food storage container. Perfect for your attic, garage, basement, workshop or elsewhere around the house.
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- VERSATILE AND REUSABLE - The possibilities are endless with this multipurpose 5-gallon utility pail. It can be used to store laundry detergent, dog food, cleaning suppplies, meal preps, birdseed, or even for water changes when cleaning out a fish tank or aquarium. Rest assured, it is both spacious and BPA-free.
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