A Post from Peggy-Laundry Soap!

Hello Internets! So let's talk about one of the many things I love about the Boy. Besides the fact that he's uber responsible, works incredibly hard and is an amazing Daddy...he also does laundry! This is something I pinned a long time ago and we've been using it for over a year. I wanted to post this because I have talked to a few people who have wondered about making their own laundry soap but for whatever reason haven't. One concern is that it takes too long, another is that it makes clothes (especially whites) dingy. But I have been using this detergent for a long time and I can tell you it works wonderfully! Don Diego is in Taekwondo and his uniform is just as white as the kids' next to him! So this is the picture from the pin:

The instructions on the blog post over at Being Creative to Keep My Sanity (that blog title speaks to my soul, BTDubs) are really quite clear. I have to say, though, that I only use 2 bars of Fels Naptha soap instead of the 3 that she recommends and I use an entire continer of Downy Unstoppables because I like my laundry soap to smell strong so my clothes smell super good when they come out of the wash. So this is how I whipped up this amazing concoction of laundry love!
Materials:

(1) 4 lb 12 oz box of Borax
(1) 4 lb box of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda
(1) 3 lb 7 oz box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
(2) bars Fels-Naptha soap
(1) regular size container of Oxy Clean (I alternate between Oxy Clean Free and this off-brand which really works just as well and costs less)

Seriously, making this stuff couldn't possibly be simpler. Just open the boxes and dump it in a big container. (you can line a 5 gallon bucket with a garbage bag if you'd like, I just have this random toy tub that I use and then rinse out. It is soap after all so it's nice for it to get cleaned out every now and again!)

If you have hard water like we do (egads do we have hard water!) (Please don't judge me for saying "egads") (or for my overuse of parenthesis!) go ahead and toss in a couple of cups of epsom salt.

The only part of this process that involves exertion is the grating of the Fels-Naptha. I've heard you can microwave it and then just break it up but I am not that adventurous! I actually use a little grater (is it called a zester?) so the flakes are smaller. Honestly, though, it's not that hard. It took me exactly 10 minutes to grate the 2 bars and that included pausing to take (burnt...sigh...) breadsticks out of the oven. So I grated the two bars, reminding Poquito Tito over and over again that it's NOT cheese and please don't eat it. 

Once it was all in the tub I let the kids mix it up with their hands. (my picture of Don Diego was blurry so I didn't use it but he did most of the mixing)

Mademoiselle...

Poor Poquito Tito couldn't quite reach! 

So the kids mixed it up and I put it in a bunch of leftover oxyclean containers and took it to the laundry room. Tada! I tell you, I love this stuff so much we gave it to our neighbors for Christmas gifts!

So here's the part where I attempt to do math...

Here is the cost breakdown for all of my ingredients from Walmart:

Downy Unstoppables (13.2 oz) $6.97

Super Washing Soda $3.24

Borax $3.97

Baking Soda $2.24

Fels-Naptha $0.97 (times 2)

Stain Removing Powder (the Oxyclean stuff) $5.94

(I had the Epsom Salt onhand so that was no cost to me)

Total before tax: $24.30

I figured this makes about 17 lbs 7 oz of laundry detergent (279 oz) and you use 1-2 Tbsp per load which is about 1-2 oz. This makes the laundry soap about .08 to .16 per load, depending on how much you use. (We generally use one heaping Tbsp per load) 

This pin has been a total game changer at our house! We're spending much less on one of our household necessities and that leaves more money for my (ahem!) shopping problem. Winning!!

Have you made this laundry soap? What do YOU think about it?