Homemade Laundry Detergent - Updated Recipe

I previously posted a recipe for homemade laundry detergent. Now having made and used it for a little over two years I have tweaked the recipe some and changed the way I use it so I wanted to provide an update. One of the changes I made was I started using Kirk's Castille Cocoa bar soap instead of the Fels Naptha. Big G has sensitive skin (and taste and smell!) and he did not like it. He doesn't seem to have any issues with the Castille. So far I have only been able to get it in regular but there is a peppermint one I would love to try. 

 Homemade Laundry Detergent

What you'll need:

~ 4 Cups of water

~ 1/3 bar of cheap soap, grated (I use Kirk's Castille)

~ 1/2 Cup Washing Soda (NOT Baking Soda) I use Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda)

~ 1/2 Cup Borax (20 Mule Team)

~ 5 gallon bucket for mixing (a lid is helpful)

~ 3 gallons of water

**Optional Additions:  Peppermint and Le Savonnier Marseillais All-Purpose Natural Liquid Soap

DIRECTIONS: 

First grate the bar soap and put into saucepan with 4 cups of water. Heat on low until the soap is completely dissolved. While soap mixture is heating, add 3 gallons of water ( I used warm water) to the 5 gallon bucket.  Add the Borax and Washing Soda to the water in the bucket and stir to dissolve. When the soap in the pan is completely dissolved, add it to the mixture in the bucket and  continue stirring until thickened. Let mixture stand for 24 hours.

After it sits for 24 hours, it is ready to use. Some people leave it in the bucket. I saved my empty laundry jugs in preparation of making this.

It may thicken up or have globs of gel-like material in it when you uncover it. I just used my Tupperware hand mixer ("stick" type mixer) to blend it well, then transferred the detergent to the bottles.

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I have a GE Duet front load washer. I have started adding the detergent directly to the load instead of using the dispenser on the machine. In talking about homemade recipes with others this came up and so I tried it. I don't know why, but I feel like it works better.

Notes: You'll find the Borax and the Arm & Hammer on the laundry aisle. At my Walmart it is on the opposite side of the brand name detergents. If you want to use Fels-Naptha bar soap, you'll find it there as well

~I have started using Kirk's Castille bar soap instead. It can be found in the health and beauty department (past the pharmacy) with the other bar soap brands.

Additional Notes:

~ I added small amounts of two other things to my detergent with my last batch. The first was a couple of tablespoons of Le Savonnier Marseillais All-Purpose Natural Liquid Soap. I am not sure if this is available in stores. I received a bottle of it for the purpose of writing a review of it. It is a 100% natural olive oil soap. They offer a couple different varieties. I used the natural eucalyptus essential oil one.

~ The second thing I added was a couple of tablespoons of peppermint extract. I didn't have any peppermint essential oil so I improvised. I liked the results of adding these two things, but they are not necessary for the cleaning properties.

~  I didn't have a lid for my bucket so I covered and secured wax paper over it and it worked fine. I have transferred the mixture to detergent bottles I had been saving for easier handling and shaking, should it thicken. I have read others statements that they just keep it in the bucket with the lid on.

~*~  Always use caution with the bucket around children and do not leave it where a child could get get into it as it is a drowning risk. ~*~

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There is a powder version of this recipe and it can be found online in various places. I have not made it but it is basically the same ingredients without water.

1 Cup Borax

1 Cup Washing Soda

1/3 of the bar of soap, grated

I believe you simply combine the ingredients into an air-tight container and add 2 to 3 tablespoons to the wash.

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So there it is. My recipe has evolved a bit. I use what works for me and my family. If you haven't done this and wanted to, I hope I've inspired you to give it a try. If you have any questions, ask away. I'll do my best to help any way I can.  :)

Hobbies! What Do You Do For Fun?

 Do you have any hobbies?  I love crafting.  I am all over the map .. I love to paint. Wood, glass, metal clay pots, gourds, spoons ... anything paint will stick to. I also love fiber crafts. I don't know how to crochet or knit, so I do other things.. I love to weave and make blankets. In 2011 I bought a floor loom from a lady and in conversation with her, I learned that there was a local fiber guild! I made contact with the lady that heads the guild and began attending the monthly meetings in January of 2012... I fell totally in love with it!
 It makes me nervous sometimes because sometimes it takes me longer to "get it". I often do things differently or backwards from others. I am left handed and become so accustomed to the fact that I automatically adapt things... sometimes it DOES matter if you're doing it backwards though! Sometimes I get what I think is a good start on a project only to hit a dead end and have to start over. Sigh. The people that attend the workshops are so great. They are funny are fascinating. Everyone brings something different to the group  and are so generous with their knowledge and techniques. I have learned about many different things that I would never have attempted on my own.  Sometimes I learn that I really love the new project and make more on my own. I totally enjoying growing my own gourds and then drying, prepping and painting them! Other times I find out that I really dislike the project and it comes home and is put away, never to see the light of day again. Beading with seed beads. HATE IT! I am fascinated by the things others can make with them, but one of our projects was a lip balm cover. It was seed beads that when strung made a super cute flower pattern. I kept getting it backwards and having to start over. And those beads are instruments of torture! They are so tiny! Needless to say, the lip balm cover did not get finished. We have done some great stuff. We have learned Natural Dyeing, Drop Spindle Spinning, basket making, weaving and twining. I would show you a photo of my craft room, but it isn't really MINE yet.... I am redoing the garage into my space so I can spread out and not set up projects on the dining table that have to be moved every time it's time to eat! So I'll wait until that's finished. While I have given a lot of the things I have made away as gifts or sold them, here are some things I have made:


These are blankets I have woven with a small square loom.

Wrapped Metal lid Snowmen

Door Knob Key Holder, Painted Grater, Photo Frame, Door Knob
 Key Holder

Recycled DC Snowman, Painted Spoons, 3-D Photo Frame

Springtime Gourd Back

Springtime Gourd Front

Snowman Gourd

Wood Sign From High School Art Class

Paper Mache Egg Basket, Yarn Wrapped Basket, PaperMache
Egg Basket with a REAL Decoupage Egg, Purple Mache Box

Glass Last Supper Plate, Leaf Pounding on Fabric, Painted Kitty
done in High School Art Class, Wooden Eggs

Leaf Pounding Close-up

Glass Plate Close-up

Baby Hat

Stepping Stones Painted for a School Auction

Twining Bag

     Twining was one of the latest things we learned at the fiber workshop. This is one of those things I found that I really love doing. It is a weaving method that the Cherokee used to make bags for collecting herbs, flowers, roots, etc. This is the one i started at the workshop and I am already halfway done with a purple one. I think I'll be making more of these for the girls in our families for Christmas gifts!
     So there you have it. I LOVE crafting and creating stuff. What kind of hobbies or crafts do you do? Do you create to keep or do you give things away? I'd love for you to share!