Making your own Laundry Soap

INGREDIENTS:

• super washing soda
• fels naptha soap or Ivory soap
• 20 mule team borax
• cheese grater
• 2.5 to a 5 gallon bucket
• large pot to boil water in

1. use the cheese grater to grate the soap
2. in a pot add grated soap and 6 cups of water and heat over medium to low heat. DO NOT BOIL. Allow all soap to dissolve in the water. This takes about 30-40 minutes. DON'T cheat it really does take this long for the soap to completely dissolve.. if you cheat it won't turn out right.
3. once all the soap is dissolved add 3/4 cups of borax and 3/4 cups of super washing soda.
4. After everything is dissolved add 4 cups of HOT water to your bucket and add the soap mixture and make sure everything is mixed and dissolved in the bucket.
5. stir in 1 1/2 gallons of cold water
6. It's recommended to use a 1/2 cup per load. I use a 1/2 cup for a small load, 1 cup for medium load, and 1 1/2 cup for large load.

This mixture will gel up as it cools. That is completely normal, but you do need to stir it as it cools with a sturdy wisk to keep it from globing up. And give it a stir before you use it for the first few times at least.

It is estimated that for a family of 3 (Dad, Mom, and child) this recipes lasts 3 months, but it can vary with each family depending on how often you wash/change clothes.

I bought all these ingredients at my local walmart store. They were located with all the washing powders and cleaning supplies. Total cost was $12. I estimate that it should last me a good 8 months to a year. Someone estimated that for a 2 year supply of these items it would cost $50, but I haven't been using it for that long so I can't say if that is true or not.