In His Presence

Homemade Laundry Soap

My mother and 10 year old niece tried this recipe yesterday as an experiment.  How my niece loves science experiments to try. She is very much into nature and science.  My mother received this recipe from a quilting friend who is an ecologist and economist, meaning that she makes this that are good for the environment and inexpensively.  What more can one ask for when on a budget.

Ingredients:

                  1 bar soap

                  1 cup washing soda (Arm and Hammer)

                  1/2 cup Borax

                  5 gallon bucket with lid (we used a scoopable cat litter bucket)

                   3 gallons tap water

                   measuring cup

                   knife or grater

1.  Put almost 4 cups of water into a pot and heat until almost boiling.  Scrap or grate soap into very small pieces and put into water.  Do not let water boil.  Stir until soap is dissolved and you have very soapy water.

2.  Put 3 gallons of hot tap water (you can use an empty milk jug if you have one) into the bucket.  Mix in the hot soapy mixture from Step 1.  Stir for awhile until mixed.  Add 1 cup of washing soda.  Stir for a minute or two. Add 1/2 cup of Borax.  Stir for a couple of minutes.  Let sit overnight until cool.

*It may be slimey or a little thin depending upon the soap that you used, but it will work well either way.  1 cup of this will do a load of laundry.  You will not need bleach.  Makes 48 cup.