The Recipe
1 full bar of soap (Fels Naptha, Ivory, or Zote)
1 C Arm & Hammer Washing Soda/Sodium Carbonate/Soda Ash (this is NOT baking soda - can be found in laundry section or on Amazon)
1 C 20 Mule Team Borax/Sodium Borate powder
water
2 gallon bucket for mixing and storage
Grate the soap and add to a sauce pan with 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket. Now add your soap mixture and stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. The gel will be the consistency of egg noodle soup. You use ½ cup per load, or more if you think you need it.
Grate the soap and add to a sauce pan with 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket. Now add your soap mixture and stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. The gel will be the consistency of egg noodle soup. You use ½ cup per load, or more if you think you need it.
While Melting the Soap.
This was before it had time to set up.
This soap is described as low sudsing. It also gels in a very odd way. It is not a smooth gel, but a watery one, it's also pretty clumpy. If it gels at all, you're fine. If it does not gel at all, you are to increase the amount of bar soap you use. Too much and it's too firm. The bottom line is to play around a bit with the mixture. At $0.1 per load, you can afford to try until you get it right. I also want to note that as I was reading through the original recipe I made some changes in my batch based on recommendations there. For example, I do not have "normal soil" on my laundry. I have children! I need a bit more power in my laundry soap, so I increased the soda and Borax from 3/4 cup to 1 cup.
I keep an old wooden spoon in the bucket to stir it before I measure it out for my laundry. Mine turned out GREAT! I like the smell how it is, Lloyd is allergic to scents and I'm not sure how the essential oils would do with his skin ( I know he's allergic to some of those too), So We're used to the free and clear stuff that has no scent, and this has a little from the Fels Naptha. If he's allergic to the Fels Naptha soap (we haven't found out yet) Then we'll use Dove (I saw another recipe that said to use whichever soap you want, but the Fels Naptha is a soap used for stains on laundry).
I found all of my items at Broulims (grocery store) in Soda Springs on the Laundry aisle all within 2 feet of each other on the shelf.
This soap is described as low sudsing. It also gels in a very odd way. It is not a smooth gel, but a watery one, it's also pretty clumpy. If it gels at all, you're fine. If it does not gel at all, you are to increase the amount of bar soap you use. Too much and it's too firm. The bottom line is to play around a bit with the mixture. At $0.1 per load, you can afford to try until you get it right. I also want to note that as I was reading through the original recipe I made some changes in my batch based on recommendations there. For example, I do not have "normal soil" on my laundry. I have children! I need a bit more power in my laundry soap, so I increased the soda and Borax from 3/4 cup to 1 cup.
I keep an old wooden spoon in the bucket to stir it before I measure it out for my laundry. Mine turned out GREAT! I like the smell how it is, Lloyd is allergic to scents and I'm not sure how the essential oils would do with his skin ( I know he's allergic to some of those too), So We're used to the free and clear stuff that has no scent, and this has a little from the Fels Naptha. If he's allergic to the Fels Naptha soap (we haven't found out yet) Then we'll use Dove (I saw another recipe that said to use whichever soap you want, but the Fels Naptha is a soap used for stains on laundry).
I found all of my items at Broulims (grocery store) in Soda Springs on the Laundry aisle all within 2 feet of each other on the shelf.
This is what my detergent looks like, kinda clumpy and watery.
Before and After of our Bedroom We still have a lot of things to find homes for, we're used to a large walk-in closet, but we're adjusting.
Before and After of the Playroom
Before and After of the Girls' Room
We did lavender walls with white beadboard we're still not finished we have to do a trim at the top of the beadboard.
Sophie Loves our new house! I was worried about her, but she's adjusted fine!
Before and after of the Bathroom. There was no shower and so we put one in and tiled. We're not finished with the bathroom, we still have a lot to do in there, but it's liveable.
