Homemade Laundry Soap

By popular demand, I'm posting my recipes for laundry soap (or laundry "soup" as Trusten calls it).

Original Liquid Laundry Soap (this is what I used to do):
~5 gallon bucket
~5 gallon paint stir stick
~3-4 gallons Hot water
~1 cup "Washing Soda" (also called "sodium carbonate" or "pH increaser")
~1 cup Borax
~Plain Ivory soap bar (we buy them in bulk at Wal-Mart on bottom shelf)
**or if you want to use this on Cloth Diapers, use Fels Naptha (sold at WalMart), Ivory causes build up on cloth dipes, so DO NOT use it!

--Grate Ivory soap bar (or Fels Naptha bar) into small non-coated pan. Put just enough water in pan to cover the soap flakes. Heat on low until dissolved.
--While soap is cooking, fill 5 gallon bucket with 3-4 gallons of hot water.
--Add to the bucket of hot water, 1 cup of Borax and 1 cup of Washing Soda.
--When the Ivory flakes are dissolved, add those to the bucket as well. Stir.

*If possible, stir every hour as it cools, thickens and "gels up". If you leave this over night, it will be solid and very hard to "break up".
*Store in bucket or pour into old detergent containers for easier access. Use 1 or 2 cups for a full load of laundry.
*Washing Soda can be found in the laundry aisle or by pool accessories.
*Recipe may need to be adapted to hard/soft water by adding less/more of the Borax and Washing Soda.

Powder Laundry Detergent (this is what I currently use):
~1 Ivory soap bar or Fels Naptha soap bar
~1 cup Borax
~1 cup Washing Soda

--Grate soap bar.
--Add grated soap bar, Borax and Washing Soda to a container.
--Mix up and use 1-2 Tablespoons per load.

*Optional~Add 1 cup of Oxi Clean to mixture
*Optional~Use a jar to premix solution in water, before adding to wash
*Again, you can use this on cloth diapers if you use only Fels Naptha


More "homemade" recipes to come!!!