Homemade Laundry Soap

So, in my journey to reduce our exposure to harmful or at least unnecessary products I thought the first place I would begin was our choice in laundry detergents. In my mind this would be one of the simplist ways we can step into a healthier home. Typically I would use Surf or even Tide. And honestly I don't have many "bad" things to say about these products, except for the obvious reasons.

no.1
Packaging {one less item that is needing to be recycled, so often}
Yes, even with your homemade detergent you will have items to
recycle, but be mindful that you will only be using 1-2 tablespoons
for each load. Therefore, way, way less on the containers needing
to be recycled. Another plus {+} is that most of the items are in
cardboard containers, and easier on the recycling process.

no.2
This is way less harsh of a detergent. So, if you have family
members with sensitive skin, this is the way to go.

no.3
Less is more. Like I mentioned you'll only need to use 1-2
tablespoons {1/8 cup} per load. So, your homemade batch will
last FOREVER {In fact I plan to update as soon as I have to
make a new batch}

no.4
Less money spent for a product that last longer! And right
there..I'm sold. I actually had the Borax & Baking Soda on hand,
so I can't honestly quote an exact number, but I'm thinking for all
ingredients your looking at $12. or less.

Now, before I step off here & give you the magic ingredients for your laundry potion, I need to give credit where credit is due. In one of my late night Pinterest obsessions I found this recipe. You can visit "Being Creative To Keep My Sanity" if you would like as well. She has some awesome stuff on her blog. Definitely worth the time to check out.

Okay, back to your laundry soap...

So,simple...you will need...
A bucket {or something large to store the bulk of your laundry soap}
A trash bag {to put all ingredients in & to mix together}
1 - 4lbs. 12oz. box of Borax
1 - 1lb. box of Baking Soda
1 - 3lbs. container of Oxi-Clean
2 or 3 bars of Fels-Naptha heavy duty laundry bar soap {5.5oz. each}
1 - 3lb. 7oz box of Arm & Hammer All Natural Super Washing Soda

and there you have it!

You'll put your plastic bag into your bucket...

Then put all the ingredients into the plastic bag/trash bag. Now, the next step is you'll need to grate your Fels-Naptha soap bars. I used my cheese grater and it worked perfectly. Absolutely no worries about the shredded pieces being a little chunky. After you've grated the soap bars, run your hands under water & you will see that the slivers just melt away. This will also occur in your machine.

Now, put your shredded Fels-Naptha into your trash bag. Secure it somehow {I used a twisty-tie} and then mix together by swishing the bag around. You'll probably feel little balls of the Borax, just use your finger to break them up. I put some into a smaller container that I will keep on our laundry counter top with a 1/8 cup scoop {just makes it easier for the other humans in the house}.

Personally, I chose to only use 2 bars of the Fels-Naptha just because I was concerned that over time the soap would build up and actually cause "crunchy towel" syndrome {but, as of yet no problems}. I would love to hear if you've used a homemade recipe for laundry soap & how is it working out for you? Or if you had to switch things up a bit for the right recipe. Also, just a side note...supposively this is HE machine safe. I still have the ancient top loader, but others have said that its very low suds & HE safe.

xo, shannon