Liquid Laundry Detergent

Use 1/2 cup- 1 cup per load. Shake when separation occurs (before each use or once a week).

Ingredients:

1 Bar Fles-Naptha Soap (grated with the finest grater)

1Cup Borax

1/2 Cup Washing Soda

1/2 Cup Oxy Clean (optional for extra cleaning)

1/4-1/2 Cup Hair Conditioner (optional as softneing agent)

Water

Essential Oils Optional (Note: I have never made mine with oils)

Items needed:

Cheese grater with smallest holes

4 quart pot

Stirring stick for pot

5 gallon bucket with lid (lid is optional)




Large stirring stick for 5 gallon bucket (I invested $10 into a  cement mixer attachment for a power drill)

Funnel with large opening

Empty laundry detergent storage containers (I try to have at least one with a handle and is small to refill)

Directions:

1. Take the bar of Fles-Naptha soap and the cheese grater and grate the entire bar of soap on the smallest grate possible (you can use a larger grade, but it takes considerably longer to boil down). Note: your entire house will smell of the soap at this stage and the boiling stage.

2. Boil 4 quarts of  water and slowly add in grated Fles-Naptha soap a little at a time until soap is completely dissolved.

3. Fill the 5 gallon bucket with 2 gallons of hot water. Note: I just use tap water, but I have read that some people boil drinking water.

4. Add the boiling soap water mixture.

5. Stir in 1 Cup Borax, 1/2 Cup Washing Soda, 1/2 Cup Oxy Clean (optional), 1/4-1/2 Cup Hair Conditioner (optional), and any Essential Oils (optional).

6. Stir well. Note: At this point I stir mine with my paint stirrer and power drill.

7. Put the lid on the bucket (optional) and set bucket in a corner indoors for 24-48 hours, or until contents look like jello.

8. After mixture looks like jello, stir mixture vigorously until mixture looks like foamy (well, mine is foamy because of the power drill) liquid laundry detergent. Note: This is where the paint stirrer and power drill really saves time and mixes evenly.

9. With assistance of another person, funnel mixture into laundry bottles and use as directed.


My Notes:
I have one of those new fancy schmancy front loading washing machines. Yes, they say HE (high efficiency) detergents only, meaning that the HE detergent is not made to foam excessively, but because this home made soap does not foam, it works well with the machine.

I woulnt gess on what 2 gallons is. If you do, however, err on the side of less water. The first time we made this detergent, Hubby guessed and put in way too much. This left our detergent very runny and even leaked from all the soap bottles (we reused the ones that housed our used store soap). On the second batch, we measured out exact and used a sharpie to mark how much to fill. Super time saver.

Ill repeat that, Measure the exact amount of water for 2 gallons on your 5 gallon bucket, and mark it with a sharpie. Heck, write the entire recipe on the bucket so you don't have to keep looking it up.

Now, I will note that I started making my own detergent around the same time I got my machine. My neighbor pointed out the reason she disliked her own new fancy schmancy washer was because her whites were comming out a little grey. At first, I thought she was just silly and going blind (she is considerably older than I), but after having to buy new garmets for due to my pregnancy and holding them up to my old ones, I realised she was right. I dont blame my soap for making my garmets grey, and here is why; The fancy schmancy washer is supposed to be super gentle on clothing, keeping colors colorful and, well, whites, not so white (despite the constant use of bleach with every white load). This I assum means the "bright whites" option just tumbles your whites a little rougher, but still is super gentle.

I am curious if any one else has noticed their fancy schamcy washer greying up their whites?

Your detergent will naturally separate after a while. This is normal. My Hubby guessed that the separation is because of the Fels-Naptha soap. There was a chemical in it that doesn't really mix well with water (So that's why you have to boil it in!). I opted for one of my containers to be a smaller hand held (that used to hold color safe bleach- amazing for blood stains!!) and I will shake it up before each load.

Does anyone know if they make Fels-Naptha soap in liquid form? If so, where did you buy it???

I have read that some people use a bar of Dove soap. I havent tried that and I dont plan on trying it because Hubby cant stand the smell. I apoligise for not knowing how using a different soap will affect the detergent.

My cousin told me that she read on line that instead of grating down the Fels-Naptha soap, you can put it in a ziplock bag of water a day or so prior to making the detergent. I personally dont see how this will work. Yes, I think it will make the outer of the soap easy to dump out and boil, but I think you will have a large brick from the inner layers in your boiling pot. My cousin felt the same way.

If someone tries this- what was your result?

The best way I have found to have your detergent is in a small container that you can shake up, pour, and refill from a larger container when its empty. This way your not constantly getting a huge 1-2 gallon bottle and tearing your arm off trying to shake it. My cousin says she leaves all the deterget in her 5 gallon bucket and sirs it up, then scoops out what she needs into a smaller container as to avoid several small containers. Originally I got a 5 gallon glass drink dispenser off of Craigslist and put my detergent in it. You end up with super separation and only get the watery stuff, which I think is just as potent, but then you have all this foamy stuff at the top. For this reason, I don't recommend using the containers with a push dispenser that laundry detergent normally comes in at the store.. I went back to the small handheld container I could shake once a week (we do laundry a lot).

I add hair conditioner to my detergent. The conditioner acts as a fabric softner (which I never seem to remember to use) and it also gives a slight scent to the detergent.

Oxy Clean is something that the Hubby wanted added for extra cleaning. I havent had a load without it, so I cant comment on that.

I found that a cheap cement stirring attachment and a cordless power drill is a huge time saver for stirring the "jello". I have watched video after video on YouTube where people use large stirring spoons or the free paint stirring sticks from Home Depot, and it seems like it takes a long time once it is Jello. I got mine for less than $10 at Home Depot. Make sure that everyone knows that the cement attachment is just for laundry detergent though- same with the 5 gallon bucket; I imagine those things can be a pain to wash clean of other stuff.

The amount of laundry detergent varies upon how the loads of laundry are. My cousin uses a cup each time, but she has a top loader. I just pour mine into the area where my fancy shcmancy washer says to fill to (I guess its about a cupish). You kind of have to play with it and see what works best for you. Again, this detergent does not foam so it is completely safe for HE washers.
I probably should check this on a non HE detergent, but in my vast experience Sodium Laural Sulfate (SLS) is the foaming agent that is in nearly everything. Its only purpose is to foam, so consumers get the feeling of "clean", but that is all the chemical does is foam up. I loathe SLS. The reason for my loathing is because SLS causes reactions and allergies. I am assuming that HE detergents do not have SLS so that the detergent will wash away cleanier and easier.

My cousin told me about making homemade detergent years ago. She would tell me how cheap each load was and how much better for you it is. Lazy and not knowing any other way, I stuck to my good  ol' store detergent. After marrying my Hubby and having a tot however,  I noticed we spent a lot of cash of detergent. Once a month I was off to Costco to buy a container of the stuff! So, I caved and tried making it myself. I washed my first load and prayed it was sanitary enough (did I mention I am a slight germaphobe?). My clothes looked clean. They felt clean. After a week, I was sold. Why? I noticed the rashes that my Tot had been getting all her life completely dissipated! Halleluiah! No more exema! Wow, my skin rashes cleared up too. In my family, the boys all have __ (super dry scaly genetic disease), and the girls all have sensitive skin, so if we wash dishes more than 30 minutes- dry cracked and sometimes bleeding skin for weeks. I couldn't believe it! I never thought my allergen, sensitive skin, no scent detergent would betray me like that! Well, I still had a little store detergent left over and actually had to use it this other week when I was to busy to make more and can I just say, the difference is night and day. The three loads I have washed have made my dry skin return, I and my tot are super itchy all the time, the smell of the chemicals in the detergent is unbearable and gives me headaches. Store detergent is horrible!!

Well, I cant think of anything more to add to this subject. Good luck!!