Show & Tell: Laundry Soap

I've been saying for a few years now that I really wanted to try to make my own laundry soap, but between living on my own and living with NYEBoy we only did maybe 3-5 loads of laundry a week. It just seemed easier not to bother with having to find a recipe, purchase the ingredients, and create the detergent, but then the girls moved in with us. Besides an increase in our utility bill and food bill, which we expected, we noticed an increase in toilet paper and laundry detergent usage, which we weren't expecting. The container of laundry detergent that once lasted us several months, barely made it a week or two. The 12 rolls of toilet paper that use to last us several months, now was vanishing in just over a week, too.

After doing a lot of googling and testing, I've decided it's best to make the powdered laundry soap. We tried the liquid concoction, but because we have hard water, I got tired of trying to google for the hard water cure to get the soap to gel up. Instead, I've found it best to break out the food processor to make the dry batch.

First, I grate a bar of soap into the food processor using one of the disc. Then, I remove the grated soap so that I can add the regular blade. I add the grated soap back in plus 1/2 cup of Borax and 1/2 Arm & Hammer washing soda. I pulsate this until it's combined and fine. Usually about 15 seconds or so. And that's it. I store this into leftover containers (Butter, yogurt, cotton candy, whatever plastic tupperware type container w/ lid you can find.) I use 1 tablespoon per load or 2 if it's a really dirty load or the bath towels.

You can purchase the Borax and Washing Soda in the laundry aisle. It was hard to find the Washing Soda at first, but I did finally locate it at Publix. I use whatever bars of soap we have since I have a stockpile of about 50 bars of soap.

There won't be suds, so don't panic. Suds don't clean, but that's what the ingredients do together. If you want the liquid version, google it. If you don't have a food processor you can use a regular cheese grater and combine until it's mixed well. I just prefer to do it the easiest way. I make several batches at a time.

Now, if only I could figure out how to make my own toilet paper... Or maybe I should ration K's ass like she was in prison. Five squares a day, beyotch! Heh.