DIY Natural Laundry Detergent

I have seen a lot of people posting about making their own laundry detergent. I started looking into it more and asking if any of my friends made their own. A few of them did and said it was great. They didn't have to spend a lot of money on brand detergent, didn't have harsh chemicals or dyes, and pretty easy. So I decided to see what it was about and make some.

Supplies:
1 bar Fels Naptha bar
1 cup Borax
1 cup washing soap
5gallon bucket & funnel

First thing you need to do is grade the Fels Naptha bar. It takes a little bit of time. If you have a food processer it would be easier. It looks like cheese once its all graded. Put the soap in a large pot.

Add 4 cups of water. Turn it on low heat. Let the soap melt, stirring slowly and constantly. You don't want it to boil.

Fill your 5 gallon bucket up half full of water before you pour the soap mixture into the bucket. Add the soap mixture once it has melted in the water. Add your 1 cup of Borax and 1 cup of washing soda.

 

Stir the mixture so the so the Borax and washing soda dissolve.

Fill the rest of the bucket, almost to the top, with water. I added about 6-8 cups more water. Put the lid on and let it sit over night.

 

 

When you open it the next morning this is what it will look like. Some may look more like gel. Some may be more watery. It just depends on the humidity on where you store it. If yours is a thick gel, add a little bit of water (this is one reason why you don't fill your bucket to the top). I didn't add any extra water. Stir mixture again so everything mixes well. 

After mixing it again, use a funnel to help put your soap in an easy to use container. I used an old detergent bottle since it had a spout on it. Only fill the bottle half full. Fill the rest of the bottle with water.

 

 

Now your soap is already to use. Remember before each time you use it, you need to shake the bottle to make sure the mixture is mix. You only use 1/2cup of soap per load.

With this recipe you make 5gallons of concentrate. Once you add the water when you put it in the bottle its like you have 10gallons (1280 oz) of soap. Since you only use a 1/2cup (4oz) of soap, its like having enough laundry soap for 320 loads.

Cost break down:
1cup washing soda - $.54
1cup Borax - $.40
1bar of Fels Naptha - $.97

Total - $1.91
Cost per load - $.005 LESS THAN A PENNY!

If you were to buy enough laundry detergent to have 320 loads, it would cost you close to $20 (each bottle having 150 loads) for only 300 loads. You save roughly $18 in making your own laundry soap. Your savings would depend on the type of brand laundry detergent you typically buy.