Making Soap!

There has been a lot of buzz going around lately about people making their own laundry detergent.
I will be the first to admit that this was silly idea to me! I truely love the smell of my clothes washed in GAIN and of course dried in GAIN fabric sheets as well!

But hey lets all admit times are truely getting rough! I hate it !!! So I broke down went to the dugger.com website ...... you know the family here in Arkansas with the 100 kids (( no really they have 19 or is it 20 or is she pregnant with number 20? oh heck who cares!

  The Dugger's from the T.V show

19 Kids and Counting

http://www.duggarfamily.com/

The Dugger's have some really good recipe's and the recipe for the Homemade laundry detergent is on there. You can make dry or liquid. I made 5 gallons of liquid which cost me $4.00 and then you dilute that so $2.00 in 10 gallons of laundry soap! Ok so it does not smell like GAIN , but our clothes are clean and that is what counts.

This is the recipes, but please check out their site that have some other awesome recipe's!

Food recipe's

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine- best value

4  Cups - hot tap water
1  Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*
½ Cup Borax

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)

-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

*Arm & Hammer "Super Washing Soda" - in some stores or may be purchased online here (at Meijer.com). Baking Soda will not work, nor will Arm & Hammer Detergent - It must be sodium carbonate!!

Powdered Laundry Detergent - Top load machine

1   Fels-Naptha soap bar
1  Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*
½  Cup Borax

-Grate soap or break into pieces and process in a food processor until powdered. Mix all ingredients. For light load, use 1 Tablespoon. For heavy or heavily soiled load, use 2 Tablespoons. Yields: 3 Cups detergent. (Approx. 40 loads)

*Arm & Hammer "Super Washing Soda" - in some stores or may be purchased online here (at Meijer.com). Baking Soda will not work, nor will Arm & Hammer Detergent - It must be sodium carbonate!!

TIPS FOR LAUNDRY SOAP: We use Fels-Naptha  bar soap in the homemade soap recipes, but you can use Ivory, Sunlight, Kirk's Hardwater Castile or Zote bars. Don't use heavily perfumed soaps. We buy Fels-Naptha by the case from our local grocer or online. Washing Soda and Borax can often be found on the laundry or cleaning aisle. Recipe cost approx. $2 per batch.

I also have made Dishwasher detergent too... I will post tomorrow

My Mother found a lot of the ingrediants at the local hardware store.

MY next thing I want to make is the Fabric softner....

I want to start making other things too  I will post as I find them