Laundry

     Lately my family and I have been sick with colds and runny noses so naturally we have an over abundance of laundry. Add in the fact that 2 are under 4 years old and go through a couple of outfits a day at times, that is a lot of laundry. Awhile ago I had stumbled across a post about homemade laundry detergent. The ingredients in the homemade laundry detergent was Borax, Washing Soda, Fels-Naptha Laundry soap and water. I only had to go to 1 store to find all these items, which were in the laundry isle in close proximity to one another. It cost me roughly $7. The cool part was,  the cost of this was much less than what I was spending on the prepackaged, ready-to-go, store bought stuff. The even cooler part, I could make multiple batches. I should mention that the homemade batch lasts me almost 3 times longer than the ready-to-go, store bought stuff does. Cha-Ching! More savings!! For me, this was something I felt would help save my family money and I know exactly what is in my Laundry detergent. I do have a kid who has skin issues and using this stuff does not irritate her skin at all. Now for the recipe!

1 Bar of Fels-Naptha shredded
1 Cup Borax
1 Cup Washing Soda
1 5 gallon bucket
1 pot
3 gallons of water plus 4 cups

In a large pot add 2 cups of water and the shredded bar soap.  Heat on medium to low heat until the soap is dissolved. Once dissolved, add 2 cups of hot water, 1 cup Borax and mix. Then add in the Washing Soda and mix. Turn the heat up to medium-high heat, continue stirring until it coagulates.  Add the contents of the pot into the 5 gallon bucket. Add 3 gallons of hot water. Stir. Put a lid on it and leave sit for 24 hours. (*note: I have used this before the 24 hour mark and it was fine). You may need to mix it up as you use it, since it tends to separate some as it sits. If you choose not to use a bucket to store it, you can use milk jugs or any other type of jug.

I use about 1/2 cup of detergent per load (I usually have medium - large loads), but will add some extra if I have a full load.

I have seen this recipe vary depending on the person who posted it. Feel free to change up the amounts as you see fit. I only posted what I use for my process of making the Laundry detergent that I use.