homemade laundry soap

I haven't bought laundry detergent for several years.  By making my own, I have more control over scent, quantity, and concentration, and I know exactly what my clothes are being soaked in (I also get a feeling of homesteading self-sustenance that's pretty gratifying).  Homemade detergent is also cheaper and lasts longer than the store-bought stuff. 

There are tons of different recipes out there, and I've tried a few of them over the years.  One used grated Fels Naptha soap bars, but frankly that's a pain in the ass, and I didn't especially like the texture of the product (I had to use my food processor to grate the soap, then an immersion blender to smooth the detergent out the following day).  I don't like using powdered laundry detergent, so I never even tried those ones.  Another used quite a lot of hot water and a 5-gallon bucket, but that was also pretty cumbersome, and storage was an issue.  I finally refined it to my liking and thought I'd share.  This one is pretty concentrated, so you only need to use 2 ounces per load.

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cup Borax
• 1-1/2 cup Super Washing Soda (Arm & Hammer)
• 1/3 cup liquid castille soap (I use Dr. Bronner)
• Essential oils (optional, but nice)
• Large stock pot   

Fill the stock pot about 3/4 full of hot tap water and put on the stove.  Once it starts to heat through, stir in the Borax and Washing Soda and allow to dissolve.  Just before it comes to a boil add the liquid castille soap and stir.  It'll start getting bubbly at this point.  If you're using essential oils, add them now.

A quick word about the oils.  I'm a firm believer in essential oils.  I used to think they were voodoo, but they seriously work.  My son has issues with hyperactivity that affect his sleep. When I rub his chest with a coconut oil/vetiver mixture before bed he sleeps through the night like magic.  A similar mixture with tea tree oil, eucalyptus, and thyme keeps athlete's foot at bay. 

Anyway, I usually play with the oil mix a little bit but I always use vetiver as the base oil because it really seems to help my son.  This time I used the following (and it smells divine; I will use this mix again):

• 5 drops blood orange
• 6 drops jasmine
• 3 drops vetiver (it's strong)
• 6 drops pink grapefruit
• 5 drops sandalwood
• 3 drops lime

Top left: just after the Borax/Washing Soda dissolved; Top right: adding the castille soap; Bottom left: just after castille soap; Bottom right: after essential oils, giving it a quick stir before adding the last bit of water.

Let this mixture come to an almost boil.  Top off with more water; enough to fill the stock pot almost all the way, then take it off the heat and let it cool.  I found a dandy little container from the thrift store that I use to store my soap, but I've found that the nozzle you see at the bottom can be problematic, so I use a 2-ounce ladle to dispense the soap.  I just leave the ladle in the container.

Be warned that the soap gets a little chunky.  This is the Borax crystallizing, I think.  Hence the nozzle issues.  This doesn't bother me though, and it doesn't affect the performance of the washing machine or how clean the clothes get.  I have a front loading High Efficiency washer and it still works great.  Just be prepared for some white crystals to build up if you spill anywhere.  Give it a stir before dispensing to distribute the soap.  You could probably give it a whirl with an immersion blender to see if that helps.

This is what it looks like when it's all cooled off.  Just a little chunky.

My clothes are fresh and clean, without any perfumey smells.  Even with all those essential oils (it might seem like a lot but it's not), it doesn't make a heavy smell.  I do about 5 loads of laundry every week.  One batch of this stuff lasts me about 4 months or so.