Yesterday, Stacy, our guest from Stacy Makes Cents, shared with us her favorite Powdered Laundry Soap Recipe. This is the one she uses most becuase it is so easy and mess free to store. But I know many of you interested in liquid laundry soap since it is already dissolved completely. Stacy is back with us today to share her favorite Liquid Laundry Soap recipe.
Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent
Meet Ruth and Rebecca. They’re expert laundry soap makers. Why are you seeing their photo? Well, because I tried making some laundry soap at home and it was a total dud. I mean, it was the duddiest of the duds. I got mad. This should be something I can do, right? Well, my soap chunked up and became almost un-stirrable. It was sad. I was sad. I was mostly mad though. I hate when I mess something up. So, I contacted Rebecca because I knew she made her own laundry detergent with her mom. I asked if I could come over and take photos to find out what I was doing wrong. Well, I wasn’t adding the same amounts of stuff that they were. Turns out that not everything you read on the internet is true. GASP! Sorry Al Gore. So, here is the story of the soap – the right way.
You need the same things to make this stuff as for the dry version, but you’ll add water…..lots and lots of water. You’re going to boil water like you’re having a baby folks. The amounts that I’m going to give you here are for half of a 5 gallon bucket – or 2 ½ gallons. Yes, I graduated college with a math degree – not.
Where does one get a 5 gallon bucket? I’m sure you can buy one at Lowe’s, but maybe you have one just collecting dust somewhere in your garage – or maybe you in-laws have one gathering dust in their garage. Don’t go out and buy one until you ask around for a free one. You can even call restaurants and ask them if you can have their empty pickle bucket…..or maybe you can ask them to donate a few pickles too. I love pickles. Ruth used a big, white bucket with a nice handle – I use this jobber. I got it from Sam’s when I was buying this laundry detergent. That was before mom and I both determined that it was making our washer smell funny. Guess there was a reason it was so cheap.
So, you need to grate your soap. About half a bar. It’s going to make your house smell really pretty. I feel pretty, oh so pretty! Oh, and try not to grate your knuckles like me. We don’t want bloody laundry detergent. Doesn’t Rebecca have nice hands? She should be a hand model.
Here it is all done. It looks like yellow snow. Yikes. You know what they say about that. Don’t eat it!!!!
Now, you should have some hot water almost boiling on the stove. I guess I should have told you that earlier. Oops! Add your grated soap to the water a little at a time and stir well.
Now, this is important….listen up! Bring the mixture to a boil and stir until the soap is all melted. I didn’t do this part, so maybe that was part of my issue. You need the soap totally melted. Mine never got that way because I didn’t boil it. I just let it warm over low heat. Thanks for the tip, Ruth!
Here is it melted. It will look like yellow Kool-Aid. But please don’t drink it – unless you have a dirty mouth. Keep stirring and boiling until it’s all melted and no little clumps remain.
Grab a smallish bowl and add one cup of Washing Soda. Like I said yesterday, you can find this stuff at Food City and Kroger. If you know of somewhere else to find it, please let us know!
Now, add a cup of Borax to the Washing Soda. Mix well. If you have clumps of Borax, just use your hand to break them up. For some reason my Borax always clumps….but Ruth says her’s does too so I’m in good company.
Pour your soap mixture into your big bucket. Add the dry mixture to the soap water and stir well until it starts to dissolve.
If you want your soap to smell all pretty and nice, then you can add ½ ounce of essential oil. They used Lemongrass Sage. It was delightful! I would love to smell like Lemongrass Sage all day……or Tootsie Rolls.
Oh, and I also should have told you to have a big pot of water simmering on the stove. When you’re done stirring your Borax and oil mixture then you can add this additional water. Stir until the dry ingredients are totally dissolved.
Now, top off your bucket – half full for this 5 gallon bucket – with warm water from the tap.
Ruth covered her bucket with Saran Wrap. But if your bucket has a lid, then you can do that. You’ll want to stir it a couple times over a 24 hour period – you won’t use it for 24 hours anyway.
Now, Ruth says that this detergent is like soup – no two batches are the same. It could be that your detergent is really thick and chunky, like goop. Or it could be thick on top and thin on the bottom. That’s ok, because you’ll need to stir it each time before you use it. So, if you look at your detergent and think “this isn’t right” then congratulations! It’s right. Mine was terribly wrong because it had large chunks of soap that hadn’t dissolved and a large, LARGE layer of foam on top. I didn’t let my soap all melt. Don’t make my mistake. Don’t be stupid. Ruth says her detergent looks like snot. Yep, I’d agree with her. But guess what? It’s really pretty smelling snot!
Now, after Ruth and Rebecca let their detergent sit for 24 hours, they divide it into smaller containers like this. That allows them to shake the bottle to incorporate it all together instead of stirring like I’ll do in my large bucket. You could also use an old, empty laundry bottle….but Ruth said that didn’t really work for them. See how it separates? That’s why you have to shake/stir before each load of laundry. You’ll use 1/3 to ½ cup per load.
The cost difference for the liquid is about the same as for the dry version, about $.02-.05 per load….versus $.20+ for the store variations.
Like the dry version, this is also compatible with high-efficiency washers, easy on sensitive skin, and reportedly safe for cloth diapers.
Guess what? When I tried it the second time, it worked. Thanks Lord! I really didn’t want to make a million batches to get it right…….but I’ll probably use the dry version most of the time because of space issues.
Thank you Ruth and Rebecca for sharing your time with us and showing us how to be better home economists!
½ bar Fels Naptha, grated
1 cup Washing Soda
1 cup Borax
I have been making the liquid laundry detergent and a helpful tip that I got was to buy a 5 gallon paint mixer. You can find it at a hardware store and it fits on the end of an electric drill making it a giant mixer….it really helps and your arm doesn’t get tired.
Lemongrass is used to attract bees to a bee hive. Bees love it! I got stung on my scalp twice one day using a shampoo that had a lemongrass type scent. I wouldn’t recommend it for laundry if you have any bees anywhere near you – or plan to be out gardening. 🙂
Kori
Do you know if you can use homemade laundery detergent on high efficiency wash machines?
Lisa, Yes and No. It is low foaming so perfect for HE machines. But some machines require a certain brand/type of detergent and are set to require maintenance if the wrong detergent is used. Be sure to check before trying the wrong kind. Just because it sets itself for maintenance doesn’t mean the machine is broken, but it will require and expensive house call to get it running again.
LOl @ Kori….I will tell Rebecca and Ruth. 🙂
This is great!! I just bought all my ingredients from Publix and as soon as I get a bucket I’m going to make my first batch!
I just wanted to let you know that I can get all the ingredients for laundry detergent at Ace Hardware.
Also, I have a soap grating tip. First of all, I use something called a salad shooter. It’s a small appliance that I see at yard sales regularly (because nobody uses it for salad!). It has a grater~ I’ve seen them for $1-2 secondhand. My guess is that it would run about $10-15 new. It is so easy to just stick the soap down in the tube, turn it on, and out it shoots, perfectly grated. You may wish to cut your soap in half first to make it fit better. The parts for the salad shooter are all dishwasher safe so it’s well worth getting one!
My last tip is to buy several bars and grate them all at one time, then just store the soap in a container (measure out how much one bar of soap equals to refer back to). I have a big family, and we need to make laundry detergent frequently. If it has been grated ahead of time, it takes no time to mix up a batch.
I have used homemade detergent for over a year. I’ve been happy with it but I do use store-bought intermittently for loads that need extra scent, as well as for whites. I do find that over time, the laundry may not look as white if one uses homemade exclusively.
Hope this helps!
Happy laundering!
I have had several people tell me it works in HE washers, but I don’t have one so I cannot attest to that. 🙂
I’ve been making my own liquid laundry soap since I saw Michelle Duggar do it several years ago. In a house of 7 people it saves us alot of money. To save more money you can also use Ivory bar soap instead of the more expensive Fels Naptha. It works just as well I find. Your soap will thicken a bit quicker too if you add cold water to the bucket once all your dry ingredients are dissolved. I keep a long handle whisk by my bucket to stir it with. I like the idea of putting it in smaller containers that you can shake. I will be giving that a try!
One of the best places to get nice 5 gallon buckets with lids is from your local Burger King. Most of them are willing to save them for you if you come pick them up right away. Also, I wrote the recipe amounts on the side of the bucket in permanent marker . No more hunting the recipe or trying to remember amounts. (yes, with 5 kids…I can forget even the simplest recipe…LOL!)
I use the Soap Nuts from Lehman’s. It is 100% natural. Since I have the front loading machine, I use the recipee for making the liquid soap. Six nuts make 2 quarts of soap and I use 1/2 cup per load. You can also use in top loading machines, 3 nuts/load up to 3 times. A bag of nuts is 12 oz and costs $16.95. I have been using the first bag since August and haven’t been thru half of it yet. There are no dyes, perfumes, or chemicals and it doesn’t clog up my machine. Gets the clothes really clean. I also use the knobby balls in the dryer. Clothes dry faster, fluffier, and less lint on them. No dryer sheets needed, thus no perfumes and other chemicals on your clothes.
Does it work well for a person with very senitive skin. We have to use laundry soap that has no smell. That is free and clear.
My experience with my HE washer is that you can use it. Actually, I am noticing that I don’t have to “clean” my washer anymore. You know how Tide and Clorox Bleach sells the washing machine cleaners for your HE washer? I was told somewhere that happens because of the soap film and stuff that builds up on the drum. That is why you are suppose to use the “special” soap or HE soap. It is just a low suds soap. Homemade soap is perfect for this. Just like Angela stated, Homemade soap is low suds. I have been using homemade powdered laundry soap (I am too lazy to make the liquid) and I LOVE it!! I don’t plan on going back. For my family of six it is saving me money and takes so little time. 🙂
I make Michelle Duggar’s recipe as well, with IVORY soap. Very inexpensive and it cleans well. Switch to vinegar in your rinse dispenser instead of fabric softener and you’ll have even cleaner, softer, fresher laundry as well as a cleaner washing machine and money in your wallet. 🙂
I have made this liquid version and really don’t like it. I am going to make the powdered version and see if I like it better. We live in an apartment with a tiny kitchen and laundry room so storing the liquid version isn’t convienient for me either. 🙂 Thanks for the powdered recipe. 🙂
I have been making the liquid soap for 8 months and it cleans well but I am having trouble getting smells out. Any ideas?