Homemade Laundry Soap

In years past I’ve made laundry soap when finances were tight and we had tons of laundry to get clean. Our kids were special needs and we had lots of accidents to contend with as they learned certain skills. When times got tight, I started doing more from scratch, especially those that seemed to cost us the most. Amazingly enough, laundry soap was one of them.

Laundry time

Something as simple as how we do our laundry can change how we spend our precious dollars. I didn’t think much of it until I had to devise a way to make those dollars stretch. We were purchasing many containers of the cheapest liquid soaps and not getting the greatest results. That should have been a big duh, right? Our clothes were not really getting that clean and we were going through so much soap and money.

Life made a downturn and I had pennies to stretch til they couldn’t stretch no more. So, I went to searching on ways to save. This was probably 12 years or more ago. I’m sure ideas have grown and improved, but I am going to share what I did and maybe that can help someone during our current penny pinching times.

First, I found a couple of gallon buckets. Occasionally we did have a cat get into them before I filled them up. I found buckets at Home Depot, as well as food grade buckets at the local grocery store’s bakery dept. I personally prefer the Home Depot buckets, but any good one will suffice. Make sure it has a lid.

From there, I went to the local discount store—your choice of where. I purchased several bars of Fels Naptha bar soap. Back then it was less than a dollar a bar. Now it is double or more. I also have purchased Zote bars and used Ivory bars as well. The Zote and Fels Naptha are found in the laundry aisles, Ivory in the bath soaps. I then purchased Arm and Hammer Wash Soda. This is not the same as baking soda. You absolutely can use baking soda in this as well. Also pick up a box of Mule Team Borax. These are found in the laundry aisles as well, usually toward the bottom shelves.

My basic recipe is super simple. Shred 3 to 5 bars of the Fels Naptha. I did this by hand but if you have other ways by all means go for it. In the bucket dump a box of wash soda and box of borax, mix it with a wooden spoon until it’s good and combined. Toss in your Fels Naptha shred, and stir around again. If you choose to use Zote or Ivory, do the same, add in or use in place of Fels . FYI Zote has a pink bar that is eucalyptus scented, if you enjoy that scent—I’ve found it pleasant myself. The shreds may not be as small as you need, and if you feel they aren’t, run the powder and soap combination through the blender and grate it down a bit more.

When using this mix, use just a small amount. 1/8 cup or less. Test until you find what works for the needs of your family’s needs. If you have lots of grease and grime in your clothes from your occupation, I’d use more. Or add more Fels into your combination.

I go beyond the powder with mine. I keep the base powder mix in a bucket with a lid on. With another bucket, I create a thick base. I use my canner pot and put in lots of water, probably 3/4 full, and several ups of mix. The water gets to a gentle boil and the mix melts into the hot water. Once cool enough to handle I dump this into an empty bucket and let it set up. This makes a thick gel that is ready to scoop into your washer. Great for top loading! Or you can reduce the amount of soap combination and make it more liquid, and use it that way.

Definitely try it out for your family and see what works best. I refuse to pay so much money for Tide or other brands, and the one brand we prefer is a powdered one from Mexico. But, this isn’t always available in our stores, so homemade it is. We still go through a ton of laundry daily, between four adults and one of which has issues with soiling. This blend works on the stinkiest of the laundry.

If you enjoy scents, add your favorite essential oils to the mix. You can create wonderful scents that last in your clothes.

A six month batch of homemade soap right now runs approximately $20. It used to cost $10, but alas prices have increased.

There are many recipes and tips to find out on the internet for this, and I encourage you to try different ones and see what you like best. It’s worth the try, and rewarding as well to have a handle on what you use for your family. Pennies add up!

I hope this is a help to you as you go about your homemaking and creating the best home for you.