A few weeks ago, Stormie Dae shared a recipe for powdered laundry soap, and she said that I would share a liquid version with you….so I guess I had no choice in the matter;) Here it is:
I used:
1/2 C Borax
1/2 C Super washing soda
Zote soap
water
You’ll need 1/6 of a bar of Zote….I kind of just guessed on the amount. Oh, and I LOVE the smell of bar soap. Yum!
Grate the soap till it looks like coconut. *Tristan had the most brilliant idea of using our food processor to grate the soap. It only took 1 minute. He’s a genius.
Put the soap in a pot with 6 cups of water and heat and stir until the soap is melted.
Add the Borax and Super washing soda and stir until dissolved. Remove from heat.
Pour the soap mixture into a big plastic container and immediately add 208 oz of hot water (or 26 cups) and stir. The mixture in the bucket will be very watery. It will form into a watery gel substance overnight.
Here is what it looks like after about 18 hours. It became very gelatinous, and was very fun to mix up (with my hands of course). Use 1/2 cup in each load of laundry.
I first saw this recipe on 17 kids and counting (don’t act like you’ve never watched it!), then my sister-in-law said that she was going to make some, and I saw dozens of recipes on Pinterest, so I finally gave in and tried it. I really can’t believe how easy it was! It only took 20 minutes, and I have TONS of the ingredients left over for the next few batches. And the best part is, the cost breakdown is only $0.01 per load! Yup. One little penny. I love a good DIY:)
Inquiring minds want to know: Are you a liquid-user or a powder-user?
mary vigil
Nov 15, 2011 -
I am a home made powder laundry soap user! I will never go back to store bought.
mom
Nov 15, 2011 -
Awesome, Steph! Let me try a cup! :)
Pearl
Nov 15, 2011 -
Audrey’s been making her own for years now. She loves it.
Audrey K.
Nov 15, 2011 -
I’ve been using the same recipie yor a couple of years now, but I use a full bar of zote, and a cup each of borax and washing soda. Man does it get the laundry clean!
Chyrl
Nov 16, 2011 -
Just wanted to know how well it works, but Audrey answered that! New Year’s project since it is too close to the holidays for me.
Jenny F
Nov 16, 2011 -
I can’t wait to try this! I’m a die-hard liquid soap user. I know it doesn’t make a lot of sense- but since I wash my loads in cold water, I just feel like the powder can’t dissolve properly. Silly, but I can’t get past it, which is why I only use liquid soap. Whoo hoo! Thank you for this. :)
Stephanie May
Nov 16, 2011 -
Audrey, how much water do you put in with a full bar? I might have to get a bigger bucket! :)
Chyrl, it only takes about 20 minutes to make, so it can be easily done in an afternoon!
Jenny, I totally agree! That is exactly why I don’t like to use powder either! I had no idea that other people have those same feelings about powder:)
Stacy
Jul 29, 2012 -
Just wondering how much of this detergent to use with a high efficiency washing machine? Thanks!