June 30, 2010

Loads of fun!

Get it? *wink, wink* Laundry is loads of fun?! O.K., so maybe not.

I know this isn't an edible recipe but it's a recipe for homemade laundry soap. I used to make my own using a different recipe but wasn't very happy with the consistency. It was a little on the gloppy side. When perusing the Duggar's book I found a recipe there. I'm going to give it a try and thought I'd post the recipe here for you.

Homemade Laundry Soap
1 Fels Naptha soap bar, grated
1 cup washing soda
1/2 cup borax

Grate the soap bar into a small saucepan. Cover with hot water. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring continually, until the soap completely dissolves.

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 more hot tap water. Stir, cover securely, and let sit overnight. The next morning, stir the mixture. Mix equal amounts of soap concentrate and water in a small laundry-detergent dispenser or container. Shake before using.

For top-loading machines: Use 1 cup of the soap mixture per load.
For front-loading machines: Use 1/3 cup per load.

3 comments:

Karla said...

Do a bit of research on Fels Naptha before you use it....it can have some non-preferrable "benefits", though I can't recall off the top of my head what they are. I use Ivory soap. Also, for a bit of fresh scent, I add several drops of soap-making scented oil, usually lavendar or vanilla.

Randi said...

I second what Karla said. I avoid using Fels Naptha because I read some pretty negative things about it. I use a castile soap bar, which grates very well. It comes in several nice scents - almond, vanilla, lavendar. Other than that, I use the same recipe as the Duggars with excellent results.

Carmen at Old House Homestead said...

I've started using Kirk's Castile Soap...but I do have some Fels Naptha on hand in case of heavy duty stains. : )

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