This Just In

My girlfriend Ressie made some home made laundry soap a couple weeks ago.? Because she’s a dyed in the wool Tide girl, this was rather surprising.? The fact that she loves this home made soap and is extolling its virtues far and wide was an even bigger surprise, and at that point I was intrigued.? I had seen this recipe before, but finding the ingredients was a pain in the rear as far as I was concerned at the time.? Come to find out, it’s not all that difficult, and the borax and washing soda last for a long time if all you’re making is this laundry soap.? So I picked up a bar of Fel-Naptha at our local grocery store and today was the day.

I am not the person in these pictures.? I had the fabulous idea of documenting the creation process, so I’m behind the camera.? The model in question is Ressie.? This works, because she has nicer nails than I do.? But I digress.

The first thing you need to do is gather your ingredients.

Fels-Naptha soap can be found at most local grocery stores for anywhere between $1 and $2 a bar.? It can also be found online here.

Borax.? There’s a team of twenty mules in there.? Look out.? Good thing we don’t need much of this.? This can be found at your local WalMart or grocery store, or online here.

Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda.? This is not Arm and Hammer Baking Soda.? This is not Arm and Hammer Washing Detergent.? It’s its own animal.? This is probably the hardest ingredient to find in a local store.? I know I can’t get it here and had to use a cup of Ressie’s supply.? It can be found online here, but beware, it does up the cost considerably because of shipping.? It’s not cost prohibitive, and it still makes this recipe far more economical than store bough soaps.

You begin by grating the bar of Fels-Naptha.? We grated the whole bar, and used a box grater because it’s very easy to clean.? You don’t want to use anything that you don’t want tasting like soap for a very long time.

It grates pretty easily.

The bar will fill a foam or paper plate when you’re done.? It’s not cheese, I promise.

Next, you’ll measure four cups of the hottest tap water into a saucepan.

Add the grated Fels-Naptha to the hot tapwater.

Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally with a plastic or metal spoon (remember, the lasting soap taste…use something non porous).

Once the Fels-Naptha is dissolved, remove from heat.

Get your five gallon bucket ready.? We put ours on the floor.

Next, add 1 Cup of Super Washing Soda to the five gallon bucket.

Then add 1/2 Cup of Borax.

Fill the bucket half way with the hottest tap water.

Ressie’s dog Ripley watches us with keen interest.? This is incredibly thrilling you know, even for dogs.

Stir with a whisk until the Super Washing Soda and Borax dissolve.

Next, add the dissolved Fels-Naptha mixture to the Washing Soda/Borax mixture.

Mix well with a whisk.

Fill the bucket to within an inch or two of the top with the hottest tap water?and give it a final, quick stir.

Put the lid on the bucket, making sure it’s secure to prevent leakage.

Let the mixture sit overnight.? It will have a gelatinous consistency the next day.?

Stir it well with your bare arm to break up the gel.?

This makes five gallons of concentrate. You dilute this concentrate with equal parts water.?

I plan on keeping mine in a 2 quart pitcher in my utility room, so I’ll be using 4 cups of concentrate and four cups of water.?

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Recommended use is 1/2 Cup of laundry detergent per load.? I will of course adjust accordingly depending on dirt level.

Home Made Laundry Soap

Ingredients:

1 Bar Fels-Naptha

1 Cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda

1/2 C. Borax

5 gallon bucket

4 C. hot tap water

Instructions:

Grate entire bar of Fels-Naptha with a box grater.? Place 4 cups hot tap water in a saucepan and add grated Fels-Naptha.? Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally with a plastic or metal spoon, until Fels-Naptha is dissolved.? Remove from heat.? Add 1 Cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda and 1/2 Cup of Borax to the 5 gallon bucket.? Fill half way with the hottest tap water and stir with a whisk until washing soda and borax dissolve.? Add Fels-Naptha mixture, whisking to stir well.? Fill the bucket to within an inch or two of the top and give it a quick, final whisk.? Put on lid and let stand overnight to cure.? Break up gel the next day with your arm or other large stirring instrument.? Makes five gallons of concentrate.? Dilute concentrate with equal parts water to use.

I’ll let you all know how I like it, and if you decide to try it, leave a comment, I would love to hear from you.

S.

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