Homemade Laundry Soap: How to Make Laundry Soap

Making homemade laundry soap is an easy and simple process that does not require special tools or equipment. It can be made with easily available materials, and as compared to commercial laundry soaps, it is much cheaper. It can save a lot by cutting down your expenditure on the expensive laundry detergents and soaps. Using homemade laundry soap has some other added advantages as well. Commercial laundry soaps contain several harsh chemicals, dyes, and unnecessary perfumes that may remain on your garments even after rinsing several times. These chemicals can be harsh and harmful for both, your clothes and skin as well. Making homemade laundry soap is an effective way to ward off such problems, we can even incorporate certain homemade soap additives. Here are a few simple steps on how to make laundry soap at home.

How to Make Homemade Laundry Soap
To make your own laundry soap, first of all, you will need either Fels Naptha or ivory soap. Then, you will need washing soda or sodium carbonate and borax. Both of these can be easily found in many stores. However, do not confuse washing soda with baking soda, as both are used for different purposes. Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate and is basically used in many drinks and for baking food items. On the other hand, washing soda is used in making soap powder, glass, and paper, and is also known as soda ash. It is quite popular for removing dirt and odor. Borax, on the other hand is available as a white powder, and is a naturally occurring mineral that can whiten and deodorize clothes.

Now, to make the laundry soap, you will need 1/3rd bar of Fels Naptha or ivory soap and 1/2 cup each of washing soda and borax. Grate the soap finely in a saucepan and then add about 5 to 6 cups of water. Heat the saucepan and keep on stirring the contents until the soap melts. As soon as the soap melts completely, add 1/2 cup each of washing soda and borax to the solution. Stir the mixture till both washing soda and borax dissolve. Now, take a bucket of appropriate size, usually a 2 gallon bucket would be ideal for the purpose. Add 4 to 5 cups of hot water and pour the entire contents of the saucepan into it and stir properly. Add a gallon of water to the bucket and leave the mixture for at least 24 hours to cool and thicken.

Making Laundry Soap for Heavy Cleaning
If you need stronger laundry soap for heavy cleaning, then all you need to do is to use a slightly larger amount of Fels Naptha or ivory soap. Grate 2/3rd of Fels Naptha soap in a saucepan. You can also use a bar of ivory soap and then follow the same procedure as explained above. For fragrance, just add some essential oils, which will give a mild and fresh smell to your laundry soap.

The resulting soap would not be a solid gel, instead it would be a liquid gel. If you need a thicker soap, then reduce the amount of water a bit. You can store the laundry soap in a container, leaving some space at the top, so that you can stir or shake it properly before use. Another important point to note is that this homemade laundry soap would not froth like its commercial counterparts. However, its performance would not be affected by this fact.

Making laundry soap at home is quite easy and does not require any special skills or tools. These simple tips on how to make laundry soap will help you make your own laundry soap and save money as well.