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Thursday, October 6, 2011

Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent

Something I've been wanting to try for a long time is making my own liquid laundry detergent. The recipe we decided to use was the Duggar family recipe. (The directions in italics are their property that I simply followed.)


4 Cups - hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*
½ Cup Borax


- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water.

-Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.



In the beginning it looks like this:

After about 7-10 minutes it looks like this:
Finally, around 12-15 minutes later, it starts to look like this:
 


-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax.

Here's the 1/2 cup Borax:

 1/2 cup of Borax to 1 cup of washing soda:


 -Stir well until all powder is dissolved.



-Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.



-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap...



and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)



Something we decided would be a good idea to do is to mark the wooden spoon we were using to stir the soap with a "laundry soap only" spoon so someone wouldn't end up with soapy tasting baked goods one day.



-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.


-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.


-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)


-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)


*Arm & Hammer "Super Washing Soda" - in some stores or may be purchased online here (at Meijer.com). Baking Soda will not work, nor will Arm & Hammer Detergent - It must be sodium carbonate!!" Check out this information on using baking soda to make washing soda.


NOTE: ™ = Trademark. All trademarks are property of their respective owners. Results may vary. All recipes are valid for non-commercial useotherwise written permission must be obtained from the The Jim Bob & Michelle Duggar Family. © Copyright 2011

Have you ever tried making your own laundry soap?
Yes, and I enjoyed it.
Yes, but I wouldn't do it again.
No, but I would like to.
No and I'm not interested.






  
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4 comments:

  1. Let us know how it works. My neightbor makes it and gave us some but I"m embarassed to say I haven't tried it yet.

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  2. I told Travis that once we move into a house I am making my own! I just don't have any where to store it right now or I would have made it and been using it by now. Let me know how you like it and did you use any oils in yours?

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  3. You busy bee! :o) Would love to try that some day, but I am soooo lazy for this kind of stuff. Every so often, however, I get the notion to go all Martha Stewart and next time that happens, will have to try this. Please let us know how the detergent works out!

    ReplyDelete
  4. The detergent works great! We like citrus, so we used some orange and lemon essential oils- these need a carrier oil, however.

    ReplyDelete