Homemade Laundry Detergent Recipe: We took suggestions on what the best homemade laundry soap was and we were told to try out the recipe from The White Silk Purse.

Ingredients:

2 bars Fels Naptha
2 cups 20 Mule Team Borax
2 cups Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
6 cups of hot water
Quart Canning Jars with Lids

Start with heating up the 6 cups of water in a large kettle. While the water is heating, grate the 2 bars of Fels Naptha. Once grated add the soap to the hot water, and stir frequently. We stirred for about 15 minutes until it was completely melted. Don’t boil or you will have a big soapy mess.

Once Fels Naptha has melted turn off the heat and add 2 cups of Borax and 2 cups of Washing Soda. Continuously stir for three minutes. The powders will dissolve into the liquid.

Pour the liquid equally into 4 quart jars. Then add just enough water to bring the contents up to the “shoulders” of the jar. This will leave about 1 ½ inches of head space. Put lids on the jars and let them sit overnight.

The soap in the jars will separate while it is standing. This is OK. There will be semi firm coating of soap on top and kind of gel-like soap on the bottom.

Now stick a knife down into the jars and cut through them like a pie, so that they will come out in pieces. Pour the contents of the jar into a mixing bowl or blender. We used an electric mixer. Start mixing on the lowest speed and gradually go up. Mix until it is a pale yellow whipped cream like consistency. We mixed two jars at a time.

Pour the mixed soap back into the jars, fill all the way full. There may be some extra for another jar. Put the lid back on and your soap is ready to use. It will get a little firmer when it sits, but it stays spoon-able. For a large load use a tablespoon of soap and smaller loads use 1 teaspoon.

Add the soap to the washer as it it filling. One quart will last for around 65 loads of laundry. The broken down cost equals out to be just under two cents per load.

This can also be used as a stain remover, rub a small about of the concentrated on the stain and wash as normal.

Do you make your own laundry soap? Let us know what you do different in the comment section below.