The recipe is very simple...just three ingredients:
- 1 4-5 oz. bar of soap
- 1 cup of borax
- 1 cup of washing soda
- 1 guart + 1 gallon of water
I also like to make a batch of soap using 100% lard with a 0% superfat. Using either the Fels Naptha, or a bar with 0% superfat assures that there is no extra oil leftover in your laundry soap. Leftover oil is good for your skin, but not so good for your laundry.
You should be able to find both borax and washing soda in the laundry section of your grocery store. Borax is often sold under the brand "20 Mule Team" and the most common Washing Soda I see is made by Arm & Hammer. Make sure you're getting Washing Soda, not Baking Soda.
Assemble your ingredients and we'll get started.
Note: This recipe/procedure makes liquid laundry soap. If you're looking for powdered laundry soap, you just leave out the water/cooking step. Here's how.
Another note: Some people have reported having trouble finding washing soda (sodium carbonate) in their city. You can leave it out of the recipe, but it really does help boost the cleaning powder of the soap. Good news though, there is a way to make your own washing soda out of regular baking soda (sodium bicarbonate).
