Homemade Laundry Soap: An Easy, DIY Recipe

Homemade laundry soap kind of conjures up images of a farmhouse washerwoman, Depression Era, with her housecoat and apron, hair tied up in a kerchief, arms balancing hot pots on the stove and wringing laundry through the hand-cranked wash basin before hanging it all up to dry on the clothesline.

I admit I sometimes feel like I'm more fitted for 1930s than 2000s. Apron included.

In fact, one of my favorite sayings for homemaking is from the 30s:

"Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without."

I try to keep that in mind. I try, but I'm not very good at it. After all, I was born in 1983 and, sometimes, well, I want my MTV!

I want my HGTV is more like it, on the rare occasions I actually watch TV. We're one of those special families who, like our lack of dishwasher, go without TV frequently.

Growing my own food? Organic gardening? Buying local instead of Smell-Mart? Making my own laundry soap?! At this point you're probably thinking I'm a special brand of crazy. Don't I believe in modern conveniences and technology? Better living through chemistry? If you see me out and about town, don't worry....There will be no bandanna on my head and I will have left the apron at home. You'll know me by my baby sling, not my housecoat, and you'll have no doubts it's me because I'm the only mama around who wears her baby. Okay, that's an exaggeration. The actual number is closer to four.

Now, why would I want to make my own laundry soap when there are so many excellent products out there? For one thing, it is considerably cheaper. Using homemade laundry soap comes out to roughly a penny per load. How can the ready-made stuff be that cheap when the price of flour alone just went up ten cents? The ingredients last forever. So far the only thing I've had to buy more than once since beginning this practice last spring is the bar soap and that's been about every four months. Also, if you don't use Fels Naptha soap it's completely all-natural! Who isn't interested in that? There are no chemicals in the soap mixture (again, if you don't use Fels Naptha) at all, which makes it great for those with sensitive skin and allergies. There's no scent at all, so your clothes smell clean and not perfumed.

Want to try? Once you go homemade, it's tough going back to the commercial-grade, highly processed and expensive chemicals. Here's my recipe, which makes about two full recycled standard sized laundry detergent bottles:

1/3 bar of Fels Naptha soap or one whole bar of Ivory or homemade soap
½ cup of Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda (found in the laundry aisle, usually next to the Borax)
½ cup of 20 Mule Team Borax Powder
a whole lot of water
2+ gallon bucket for storing (I use an old laundry detergent bottle)

1.
Grate the soap (use or find an old cheese grater that you can devote just to soap-making...cheap at thrift stores!) and place in a sauce pan. Add six cups of water and heat over medium heat until the soap has melted.
2.
Add the washing soda and borax and stir until dissolved completely. Remove from heat.
3.
Pour four cups of hot water into the bucket or container you will be using to store the soap. Add the soap mixture (a funnel will be handy if you're using an old laundry soap bottle) and stir well. Pour one gallon plus six cups of water into the mix and stir again.
4.
Cover and let sit overnight or at least six hours. Stir before each use. Use ½ cup per load of clothes.

The soap will be a kind of watery gel. Mine is usually in a semi-solid state. There are a few things to remember when using the soap. Even though borax and washing soda are natural ingredients, they are still toxic so be careful where you store your boxes and when mixing. You don't want to breathe in the powders. Also, washing soda can be really abrasive so pour in the soap and let the water start to fill up before adding your clothes. As the water fills you'll notice a lack of suds. That's ok. Suds aren't what get your clothes clean. Soap is! If you think your laundry needs an extra boost you can add a little more borax but that will make the soap mixture thicker and you'll need to add some hot water to the bucket before each use.

The soap won't get out really strong odors on the first washing. But you know what will? Sun! Sunlight will get out odors, bleach stains, and work as a natural disinfectant. There's a reason to hang out my clothes on that 1930s clothesline after all. If you find you really enjoy having scented detergent and perfumed clothing, a few drops of essential oils like lavender, tea tree, or citrus will give a subtle but pleasant smell after laundering. I have found that I've gotten so used to the "no smell" of this soap I can easily pick up other scents, so I prefer the unscented soap and sunlight method.

Easy as pie and your clothes come out just as clean and fresh as when using the regular stuff. Happy laundering and don't forget your apron!