Recipe Corner: Home Made Laundry Soap

I have to place credit where credit is due, I got this "recipe" from Trent on The Simple Dollar. I have made it twice now since about April of this year. I have a front loading HE washer and the money I have saved by not having to buy special detergent for that washer in more than 6 months is enough incentive to continue to make my own. In my opinion (and that of Trent and many of his readers) it works just as well as Tide. Here it is...

• 1 bar of soap (cheap stuff will do)
• 1/2 cup borax
• 1 cup washing soda (not baking soda, washing soda can be found at the grocery store in the laundry soap aisle)
• approximately 3 1/2 gallons water
• 5 gallon plastic bucket with lid

The soap I got for $1 for a 3 pack (and only use 1 per batch), the washing soda I got for $2.67 at the grocery store(only used 1 cup per batch) (my Wal-Mart didn't carry washing soda), the borax was $2.97 at Wal-Mart(again only used 1/2 cup per batch), the bucket I got at Ace hardware for approximately $8, however you can probably get them free from a restaurant, bakery, etc...

1. Start 4 cups of water boiling on the stove.
   
2. Grate your bar of soap using a cheese grater.
3. Add the shaved soap slowly to the boiling water a little at a time. When the little has dissolved, add more until it is dissolved, continue until you have dissolved the whole bar.
4. Pour 3 gallons of hot tap water into the bucket.
   
5. Add the borax and washing soda and stir.
6. Add the soapy boiling water and stir.
7. Cover and let sit overnight.
8. After sitting, stir it up. It should be fairly gelatinous.
   

The color of your detergent will be a lighter version of whatever color your bar soap is. I have 2 Tide bottles that I saved from before and I just refill those and use the dispenser cap from them to measure out. For the HE washers it is approximately 1/2 to 2/3 cup and for the regular about a cup.