Homemade: Laundry Soap

My first homemade project this summer was laundry soap. It was cheap and easy to make. All the ingredients were available at Woodman's, and I hear you can get them at Jewel and WalMart, too. One website I read said that it costs just $.05 per load to use! The true test was whether it cleaned my laundry well, and so far, I've gotten good results. We use cold water for most of our loads, and our clothes have been coming out nice and clean, even the extra-dirty little boy duds.

First, gather your ingredients and utensils, and arrange them attractively on your work surface.

Grate your bar soap. I chose Fels Naptha, though I understand you can use plain Ivory soap, or any other old-fashioned laundry bar soap. Be prepared to sneeze a bit from flying soap powder.

Enlist the aid of any toddler passing by and looking for something to do.

Add one cup borax...

...and one cup washing soda. Light a candle for that "Little House on the Prairie" feel.

The instructions say to mix for 5 minutes. I'm not sure why so long. I mixed for about 3 1/2 minutes and took pictures for the other 1 1/2 minutes.

My helper stopped by to mix a little, too.

Store in a container. Use your cute label maker, if you have one. Masking tape and a Sharpie work well, too.

Use 1 Tablespoon powder per regular load. Use more for extra large loads or heavily soiled clothes. I understand this is a low-sudsing detergent, so you can even use it in those beautiful high-efficiency washers I so admire. Let me know if you try it and how you like it!