Homemade Laundry Soap

Nope, that's not cheese! It's Fels-Naptha soap. I'm sharing a different type of recipe with you today! Homemade Laundry Soap. I asked my Fairy Godmother if she could teach me how to make this. It's so easy and seriously costs less than $1. How can you beat that?! We've been making this soap for about a year now, and haven't missed the old store bought soaps. Do you make your own soap?

Here's what you'll need:

Cheese Grater

4 gallon bucket with lid

Wooden Spoon

Homemade Laundry Soap

makes approximately 2 gallons (64 loads) Recipe can be doubled.

Lehman's recipe

1/2 bar Fels-Naptha soap, grated

1/2 cup washing soda

1/2 borax

On your stovetop, place grated soap in a large pan with 6 cups (1 1/2 quarts) of water and heat until the soap melts.

Add washing soda and borax and stir until dissolved. Remove from heat. 

Pour 4 cups hot water into a 4 gallon bucket. Add soap mixture and stir well, then add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir again until mixed well. Let soap sit for about 24 hours; it will congeal into a gel.

Stir the soap before each use. Use 1/2 cup per load (a little more or a little less depending upon how soiled your laundry is.)

Please note: This is a low-sudsing soap, so you will not see bubbles or suds in the water! Its not the suds that do the work, its the ingredients! :)

Scented soap: If desired, use 1/2-1oz essential oil or fragrance oil. DO NOT use soap scents or they ruin the batch!

My Fairy Godmother stirring the batch of soap!