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About kmorrisKelly Morris is a sustainable-living expert who lives in a small Ohio town with her husband, their 9 children, 10 miniature donkeys, chickens, goats and lazy Basset hound.
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Another option for you, I don’t know if you already know about this, is to do a dry version of this. You take one bar of fels naptha, 1/2 cup borax, 1/2 cup washing soda. You grate the fels naptha, put it in a quart mason jar, put the borax and washing soda in the jar, put a lid on it and shake. You can use it right away (about 2 TBS per wash load) and it takes up less space. I usually make two batches up at a time when doing it because it’s so easy to do. You can also do this same thing with other soaps and it works great. Fels Naptha is just my favorite. You typically don’t need to worry about the soap curls not dissolving as long as you put it in the washer first (my friend has a front load and uses this same recipe) but if you want to, you can let your grated soap curls dry out a couple days and then pulse them through a food chopper. I used to make the 10 gallon variety and loved it as well, but I switched to the dry version when I discovered how fast and easy it was and I’ve now been doing this version for a couple of years now.
Nichole,
I’ll have to try that sometime! Not sure why I haven’t before!
I make the powder also. However I add some all color bleach powder and Dollar Store version of Oxy-clean for a little added boost. I recently started adding some Purex Crystals for a bit more scent. I just add based on how large a batch of detergent I make-I never measure.
I have a question then a comment: 1) We have a High Efficient washer: what can you make to use in i=one of them?
2) It’s funny, everything that you used there, I use in my garden as well!
http://theredeemedgardener.blogspot.com/
Clint,
This detergent works in an HE washer, I’ve done it for years now.
What is the dr. Bronner’s for? Love that soap!
Melissa,
Duh! I totally forgot to mention that you can use that kind of soap as well!
I have a question about the liquid/gel version of the laundry soap. It seems to me that the liquid/gel would become moldy or start growing bacteria if kept too long. Has this happened to your laundry gel, and where/at what temperature do you store it?
Thank you.
Karen,
I’ve never had either issue and store my detergent in the lower level of the house, right next to the w&d. Soap is generally antibacterial, so I doubt mold would grow. My thinking is this….if mold grew on it, just scrape it off and proceed…. Great question.
How much laundry soap do you use per load? There are many recipes out there using the same three ingredients but they are not diluted as much as yours is. The recipe I’ve been using for years is 1/3 bar of fels naptha, 1/2 c borax, 1/2 c washing soda with enough added water to make 2 gallons. I think it calls for 1/2 c per load. I also use a dry version which is equal parts grated fels naptha, borax and washing soda, and use 1-3 T per load depending on the size of the load and how dirty the items are. This has really helped reduce our laundry/cleaning budget category.
Hello AStates,
I use 2/3 cup for my very dirty laundry, thanks for commenting.
After making the liquid laundry soap for quite a while, I just made a batch of powdered soap a few weeks ago. I love how easy it is to make the powder! However, the liquid does cost less per load. (I use 1 TBSP of powder per load.)
Judy,
I’ve heard that the powder is pretty nifty, I might try that sometime. I’m just concerned that it wouldn’t all dissolve, but it would probably be fine.
I am interested in the powder but not sure how to use it. I have a front loader so do I need to mix with water before I use it? I don’t think I can put powder in the detergent bin in the washer.
Love the idea
Linda,
I would recommend making the liquid version with a front loader. Thanks for commenting.
We use the powder version in our front-loading HE washer. I use a micro-plane (zester) to shred the bar soap very fine. Works great.
Thanks for a great post-I am going to try this. Do you have a recipe for dishwasher detergent?
Heidi,
Thanks for your question but I do not have a recipe that I would recommend, especially for very hard water. I’ve tried several recipes, but I haven’t been able to get the salt ratio right enough to do a good job on the dishes.
Can anyone help us out here?
You say you use stainless steel pot and whisk, does it have to be stainless steel?
Leigh,
SS is recommended, but use what you have. Just set aside the pan for detergent making purposes. Good question!
Great instructional video! I just received some peppermint dr.bronners that I am planning to make into some dry laundry soap. I’m going to try this version too. Thanks!
I store my batch outside in an old cleaned out frosting bucket. It has frozen and thawed, but is still usable. There is no mold yet.
On the recipe- I used this for my Stone Soup class for storage- made up the wet and dry mix- I used my old food processor for the soap grinding.
When we returned the next week, the oldest member of our class, reported back that he uses Ivory bar soap- like his “momma” used- and he uses it for his dish soap also. Fels Naptha should not be used for dish washing. Ivory soap is safe- I believe it is the oils within it.
Its fun not only making the soap, storing the soap but also using three or four buckets to wash the clothes! I just need to find a good cheap wringer. But a good sunny day with a bit of wind works well too.
Kelly -
Am new to making my own cleaning and personal care products. However the few that I have made have all been successful including your recipe here for liquid laundry detergent !
Made your recipe for homemade laundry detergent a couple of days ago and all I can say is THANK YOU so much for sharing this with us ! ! !
Have done several loads of laundry since making and am quite impressed with this homemade detergent ! ! ! Even had to wash a load of “pee-pee” rags from an old dog we have and they washed completely clean without any odors, etc . . .
The 10 gallons that I made the other day ended up costing me ONLY $2.30. Yep, that is not a typing error . . . that’s ONLY $2.30 for 10 gallons of liquid laundry detergent ! ! ! (That is 23 cents per gallon ! ! !)
For me to buy that same amount in a commerical laundry detergent would have cost me right at $48.00 – ($4.80 per gallon) – WOW – instant savings of $45.70 ! ! !
My only delimma now is where to store the two 5-gallon buckets
but with a savings of $45.70 I bet I can happily find somewhere to put them 
– Again . . . WOW ! ! !
And once again – thanks so very much for sharing this recipe with the rest of us out here ! ! !
Deb
I only have 4 children and feel like I am doing laundry constantly! Thanks so much!
How many ounces is the bar of Fels Naptha?
I have a 5 oz. bar of Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint and want to try the recipe with it. Also can anyone using the peppermint let me know if your clothes smell like peppermint? We were trying to get the Baby Mild Unscented and ended up with peppermint instead.
If using liquid Dr. Bronner’s would I use the same number of ounces as the bar?
Thanks for posting the video, I appreciate watching the process.
Lydia
Good morning Kelly……just giving you a heads up. I put your tutorial up on my fb and will later on my blog about your soap making tut. I made mine last night!!!!!!! Why didn’t I do this before? soooo easy! Our grandson’s found the bad eggs that didn’t incubate. in the field that I had put out for animals. They decided to throw them. It got on them…….I tried out the new laundry soap…..wish we could have thrown them in with! The clothes smelled wonderful…….after the washing!
Hugs to your day!
Linda
Hi I love the idea of this washing soap. I made some myself but after a while all my clothes were coming out of the washing machine smelling really bad. Any suggestions
I thought it smelled bad as well, however my clothes don’t smell at all when I used white vinegar as the softener. I only use 3-4 Tbsp in my he front loader. My husband also made sure the rubber seal on the front loader was clean. I love the way the clothes smell and feel. They smell like nothing but fabric, nice and clean.
Hi Lydia thanks for the suggestion. How exactly do you use the vinegar? and do you add it each load of washing?
Yes I use it for every load. I just pour the vinegar into the dispenser cup for softener. Just about 3-4 tablespoons. The machine does the rest.
We live on a sailboat away from a marina. We wash our clothes in a bucket and hang them on the safety lines to dry. I’ve been wondering how to get the clothes softer. I’m looking forward to trying the vinegar as a softener.
Where do you get your supplies? I’m looking online and there seem to be a wide variety of prices. What is a good price for borax, washing soda, and soap?
Dara,
I have been able to find all three ingredients at Meijer or Walmart. The Fels Naptha soap tends to be on the lower shelves of the soap area, you have to look for it. What part of the country are you in?
Where can I find the printed recipe?
Thanks,
Linda (aka Ratwife)
Theratracelosers.com
Linda,
Hope this helps!
http://duggarsblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/duggar-recipe-liquid-laundry-soap.html