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My IDIAH: Laundry Cents

I have been making my own laundry soap for over 4 years now. I decided to make my own soap because it seemed easy enough, I enjoy making things myself and that feeling of accomplishment when it works! I love the fact that when I run out of soap, I just go grab 3 simple ingredients from my laundry room and make another batch. Many people have asked for the recipe I use, so I thought I would share it with everyone here.
borax
Laundry Soap
• 1 Bar of Sunlight Soap
• 1 Cup of Borax
• 1 Cup of Washing Soda
• Water

In a large pot, grate the bar of Sunlight Soap, and then add 8 cups of warm water. Cook on medium until soap is dissolved and starts to boil. Then add the Borax and Washing Soda. Stir continually until dissolved and comes to a boil. Let boil for a minute while stirring. Keep a close eye on it, as it can boil over quickly!

shredIn a large container or bucket pour the soap mixture from the pot. Then add approximately 25 cups of water. I then leave it overnight. The next day your mixture will have become a solid gel. I take a wooden spoon and start to loosen it up; sometimes I get my hands in there too. Fun part for kids! Then add another 10+ cups of warm water and stir until it is of liquid consistency again. Leave it again to see if it stays liquid. If it becomes gel again, you will need to add more water. There is no exact amount of water to add, just until it has a thick consistency that you can pour. Sometimes the end product can be lumpy, but that doesn’t affect the soap, if it gets too thick, just add more water.

bowlThis recipe makes anywhere from 3-4 4L jugs of laundry soap. I store mine in 4L milk jugs, but any container you can pour from works. I use approximately ½ cup of soap for each load of laundry. I just pour it in the liquid compartment of my washing machine and it is safe for front load HE machines. As this is scent free, if I want a little scent in my laundry I just add some laundry scent beads with my load or a few drops of essential oils.

All of these ingredients can be found in the laundry aisle of your grocery store. Borax has been harder to find lately, but some grocery stores or pharmacies still have it with the laundry soap. All 3 of these ingredients can be used for other things; look them up online to see.

Like any product you try, watch for skin sensitivity and use at your own discretion. Happy Washing!

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