DIY laundry soap

we do a lot of laundry in this house!  so to save a little money we started making/using our own laundry soap.  this recipe is one my mom found online & shared with me.  :)  it does take some time, but all of the ingredients can be found at your local grocery store and are inexpensive.

here it is...i always double it:

1 qt. boiling water (4 c)
2 c bar soap grated (1/2 bar)
2 c borax
2 c washing soda


here are my main ingredients:

appox $1

approx $3.79

approx $3.20

boil the 4 cups of water in a big pot.  while it's starting to boil, grate the bar of soap.  (i've found that if you use a finer grater, it melts more easily)

once grated...

add to boiling water.

and keep stirring until melted (if you keep the temp on med/high, i've found it melts more easily)

after completely melted, transfer to a large clean pail. (i use a 12 L rubbermaid container from the container store)

then add washing soda...

and borax...

and stir until dissolved.  i like to use a wisk :)

next add 2 gallons of water (4 quarts)

stir until mixed

it tends to separate after the initial stir...

so, you might need to wisk it a couple more times.  then it looks like this and is ready to use!

the doubled batch that i make ends up being 4 gallons of laundry soap!  you use 1 cup for each load of laundry at a time.  i hope this comes in handy and saves you some $$ too!

oh so domestic,
libby