Homemade Laundry Soap

In my quest to fight my children's allergies and to be frugal, I started making my own laundry soap. It is so easy and much less expensive.

I use Ivory Soap which is the cheapest soap you can buy. Grate 2-4 oz. bars (or 1-8 oz. bar) in a food processor. You can do this by hand but I find it easier this way.
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Put in a large pot and add 1 gallon of water.
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Put it on the stove on a medium high setting and whisk the soap until it is totally dissolved. This will take a few minutes. I find it easier to start it cooking and then come back every few moments to give it a good stir.
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Bring to a boil and let it simmer for 5 minutes or so to make sure the soap is totally dissolved. Watch it or it will boil over and you will end up with a super clean stove top!
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Let it cool completely and then pour into gallon jugs. You can use old laundry detergent bottles, milk jugs or anything else you have around.
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When it's done, let it sit for a day or two and it will gel up. In fact, sometimes it over-gels. Just give it a good shake and use 1/2 cup per load.
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I use 1/2 cup plus a scoop of oxyclean. Altogether just using these two items, it costs me about $.10 per load which is not bad at all. 2 gallons of laundry detergent lasts me about 6 weeks.

Comments

  1. When I first read your blog a while back talking about making your own laundry soap, I couldn't quite figure out how you were saving all that much money and it seemed like it was more work than savings but with this post, you have made it a little more clear to me and it seems like quite a savings. Good job, Terri. I admire all the ways that you are creative in your quest to save money for your family and help them with their allergies and such!

    You are a great Homemaker!!!!

    Love,

    Mom

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  2. I have tagged you for a meme so come on over and discover what it is all about.

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  3. why Ivory soap? could anther kind of soap be used?

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  4. Lisa, you can use any soap you want. I just happen to use Ivory because it's inexpensive.

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  5. This looks like it would be fun to make. I'll bet you have a real sense of accomplishment every time you do the laundry, too -- kind of like pulling out jars of produce you canned your very own self. Thanks for the great idea :)

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  6. If I get a chance Mom, I'll do the list.

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  7. This sounds like a great idea! Thanks for sharing!

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  8. I also add 1/2 cup washing soda and 1/2 cup borax to the mix. It works great. For a scent you can add lavender or orange oil.

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