Kimberley Hackett4/9/2012

How to Make Your Own Laundry SoapLaundry is a never ending fact of life. You'll never run out of laundry to do, and you'll always need some soap or detergent to get your clothes clean. But you DON'T need to empty your wallet paying for commercial detergents, and you DON'T need to expose yourself to the questionable chemicals found in most commercial detergents. Homemade laundry soap is a cheap and easy way to get your laundry clean for a tiny fraction of the cost of conventional detergents.

A note on soap used for this project: You can use any kind of soap you want for this, so long as it doesn't say “moisturizing” or something like that on the label. Moisturizing soaps won't get your clothes very clean, and the moisturizers in them may actually stain clothes. The most commonly used soaps are bars marketed as laundry soap, such as Fels-Naptha and Zote, as well as other brands. If you don't like the scent of a soap, you can still use it for laundry soap; the smell doesn't remain on clothes at all once they're dry.

Where to find ingredients: All the ingredients are readily available, though they may not be lurking in your closet right now. Laundry soap bars and borax are easily found on the laundry aisle of virtually any store that sells laundry detergents. The washing soda may also be found in the laundry section of the store, but many stores don't carry it. WinCo does carry it in the laundry aisle (right next to the borax), or you can check a hardware store.

Safety Note: While none of the ingredients in this soap are highly dangerous, care should still be taken. DO NOT breath any dust that rises when measuring, pouring, and mixing. If you have sensitive skin, you may want to wear gloves to avoid irritation. As with any other activity, please exercise common sense when using graters and small appliances.

You will need:Ingredients

• 1 bar of soap, finely grated (approx. 4oz. by weight)• 1 Cup borax• 1 Cup washing soda (Note: This is NOT the same as baking

soda! Make sure you have WASHING soda!)• (Optional) ½ Cup Oxygen cleaner

Equipment• Fine-holed grater• Medium sized bowl• Large spoon• Measuring cups

• Storage container (A quart jar or recycled yogurt container is perfect)• Blender or food processor (Optional but handy)• Additional for liquid soap: 5 gallons of water, 1 gallon pot, and 5 gallon bucket

To make powdered soap:

Note: Some dust may be formed during some steps. Be VERY careful not to breathe any of it

1. Grate the soap into the bowl. (Illustration 1)Note: Don't try to do this with a food processor. Food processors generate heat, which softens the soap and turns everything into an enormous mess.

2. Measure borax, washing soda, and oxygen cleaner if using into the bowl.

3. Mix ingredients. The soap needs to be broken down into the finest powder you can achieve. You can either mix by hand for 5-10 minutes, until it looks like an even powder (Illustration 2), or place the mix in batches into either a blender or food processor and pulse to a powder.

4. Pour your finished soap into your chosen storage container and label clearly (Illustration 3).

To make liquid soap:

1. Grate or chop the soap into even-sized pieces. It doesn't need to be in particularly small pieces this time, although that will help it melt faster.

2. Bring about 1 gallon of water to a boil. Lower heat and add soap.

3. Allow to simmer until the soap has completely melted, stirring gently every few minutes. This will take around 5-10 minutes, depending on the size of your soap chunks.

4. Remove soap from heat and mix in borax, washing soda, and oxygen cleaner, if using.

5. Pour about 4 gallons cool water into your bucket, then mix in hot soap mixture.

6. Mix well, and allow to sit overnight. Mix again the next day and it will be ready to use.

Illustration 1

Illustration 2

Illustration 3

Usage:

Powdered soap: Use 1 tablespoon of powdered soap for mild to moderately soiled laundry, and 2 tablespoons for heavily soiled or extra large loads.

Liquid Soap: Use ½ cup for mild to moderately soiled laundry, and up to 1 cup for heavily soiled or extra large loads. The liquid soap also makes a very effective stain treater if you rub it into the stain and let sit for a few minutes before washing.

Misc. tips: • If you find the powdered soap isn't dissolving well in the wash, you can either dissolve it in a

bit of warm or hot water before adding it to the washer, or you can try the liquid soap instead.• If your homemade soap doesn't remove odors as well as you need, or you find your clothing

becoming musty, try adding 1 cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle.• If you like your clothes to have a scent when you wash them, you can either use a commercial

fabric softener, or put a little essential oil you like on a small cloth when you run your clothes through the dryer.

Making your own laundry soap is a very simple and potentially extremely rewarding activity. You get a laundry soap that works, is environmentally friendly, and free from the questionable chemicals in most laundry detergents, without having to spend tons of money on expensive “green detergents.” It's so easy, and so cheap, there's really no reason not to give it a try!