Saving Money with Homemade Laundry Soap

Newsflash: Laundry soap is expensive. Ok, that’s not really news, but imagine the money that you could save if you longer had to fork over money week after week for bottled detergent.

Sure, you could just buy the less expensive brands, but some consumers find that they do not clean as well as their pricier competitors. Homemade laundry soap can be made for a fraction of the cost of store bought laundry soap and does a great job at getting clothes clean.

There are many recipes available for creating homemade laundry soap. Below you will find a very basic recipe.

You can personalize the homemade laundry soap recipe by choosing various brands and scents of bar soaps or by adding more soap to increase the soap to water ratio.

Basic Recipe For Homemade Laundry Soap:

Ingredients:

• 1 quart boiling water
• 2 cups of grated bar soap
• 2 cups of borax
• 2 cups of washing soda
• 2 gallons room temperature water

Place the grated bar soap into the boiling water and stir constantly until all of the soap has melted.

Pour soap and water mixture into a large pail. Next, add the Borax and washing soda and stir until both have dissolved completely.

Add the two gallons of room temperature water and stir well. For each regular sized load of laundry, you will use 1/4 cup of the homemade laundry detergent.

NOTE: You will need to stir the detergent before each use as it will tend to gel. This is not a problem. Just stir well and the detergent will be ready to use.

Some people prefer powdered laundry soap. Below is a basic recipe for homemade powdered laundry soap. This recipe is very easy, and only takes a few minutes to make.

Powdered Laundry Soap Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 bars of soap, grated
• 1 cup of washing soda
• 1 cup of borax

Simply mix the grated soap with the washing soda and Borax. Mix well and store in an airtight container.

You can increase the amount of laundry detergent by using 2 bars of soap for every 1 cup of Borax and washing soda. Use 1/4 cup for an average sized load.

Most grocery stores carry Borax and washing soda. Both items are typically located on the laundry aisle.

If you are not happy with your first batch of homemade laundry soap, do not give up. Try to tweak the recipes using the tips above such as trying different types of bar soap or increasing the soap to water ratio. You may also try to add a bit more detergent to each load.

When making homemade laundry soap, keep in mind that you will need a place to store the detergent.

Before making the recipe, be sure to have on hand a large pail or covered bucket. Old laundry soap containers or even plastic kitty litter tubs work well for this purpose. You can also purchase covered buckets at most home improvement stores.

Making homemade laundry soap is a great way to save money without having to sacrifice quality. This small investment of time can result in a significant yearly savings.