My foray into frugal laundry soapmaking

Kayla's Adventures in Soapmaking

I did it! I made laundry soap with my own hands. I posted the recipes recently but here they are again.

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine- best value (from Duggar Family Website)

4 Cups hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup Washing Soda
1/2Cup Borax








- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.









-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.










-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)

-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)


Powdered Laundry Detergent- Top load machine

1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup Washing Soda
½ Cup Borax

-Grate soap or break into pieces and process in a food processor until powdered. Mix all ingredients. For light load, use 1 Tablespoon. For heavy or heavily soiled load, use 2 Tablespoons. Yields: 3 Cups detergent. (Approx. 40 loads)



I assembled my ingredients. Smiths and Fred Meyer carry all of the ingredients but lots of grocery stores carry some of them. I was making a double batch in a 10 gal. tub so I grated the first bar of soap with my hand grater. After grating my fingers a few times, I chopped the bar into pieces with a knife and then put it in my little food chopper. That worked great.



I added the grated soap to the pan of water, borax, and washing soda and stirred the mixture until it all dissolved. I put all of this into the tub that was half full of hot water and then added more hot water to fill it up. I then added about 30 drops of orange essential oil and covered it for the night.


The next day it had gelled like it was supposed to and the texture reminded me of egg drop soup. I have been using it all week! You are supposed to further dilute it with water but I like using it at a double strength. I miss the fresh scent of Tide but I know this soap is doing its job!

Earlier in the week I made the powdered soap. It was easy but I didn't find it a great value so I will stick to the liquid soap if anything. On another website the lady had figured out that the homemade liquid laundry soap averaged .01 a load. I use it at a double strength so I am spending a big .02 a load! That I do enjoy.