We started using homemade laundry soap (the liquid-gel version) two months ago. I've made 3 batches so far b'cuz I gave away a lot and everyone who's used it wants more. So far, it's every bit as effective as the liquid Purex I used to buy. There's 5 of us, vehicle grease, red adobe mud, cooking spatters, a zillion towels. So far, so good. I wash in cold, extremely hard water.
NOTE: This soap will not suds, not even a little, so don't be fooled by looking in the washer and seeing dirty water and think you should add more. It is working fine. Adding too much will leave a soapy residue.
There's dozens of sites with various recipes online. Here's the recipe I've used so far:
---1 whole bar of soap, 4-5 oz., the brand doesn't seem to matter. Personally I dislike the smell of Fels, too chemical-ly. Had a bunch of Irish Spring Blue which smells like 'fresh linen'
so I'm using that. (Hint: Use soaps you like the smell of. Don't bother adding essential oils. Too costly, the soap smell overrides it anyway.)
---1 C. Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (can substitute baking soda but it won't gel quite the same. Still works fine, far as I could tell)
---1 C. borax -- If someone could please direct me to posts that 20-Mule-Team borax in greywater is toxic to plants. I've always heard that, too, until I found an Aussie homestead family online who use this soap 20+ years in their greywater direct-to-garden set-up and they laugh when people talk about borax killing plants b'cuz obviously nothing is dying in their fabulous garden with alkaline soils. I'll find the link later. Our greywater is not being used for irrigating yet, but it's always run outside to wild plants that seem unaffected so far.
Directions:
I don't grate the soap. It cuts nicely into shreds and chunks with a big knife and cutting board. Add it to a qt. of boiling water. Simmer and stir occasionally for 30 min or shut off and let soak till dissolved. Or soak the whole bar for several days and heat when it's dissolved.
Heat a gallon or 2 of water (or use hot tap water). I usually put a gallon on to heat while dealing with the bar soap.
Put the powders in a clean 5-gallon bucket. Add the hot dissolved soap and stir with a long-handled spoon until powders dissolve. (I use plastic, don't want my wooden one soaking up the soap smell) Add the 2 gal. of hot water plus another quart to make 2-1/2 gal. total. Stir.
Let sit overnight (or a couple of days) in the bucket, stirring occasionally and scraping bottom well. Doesn't need covered unless stuff will fall in it.
It will gel and take on the color /scent of the bar soap.
I stir it real good one last time and then pour or dip the thickened gel into plastic Folger's coffee cans with lids or 4-qt. ice cream buckets. Diluting or putting this glop into old laundry soap containers seems an unnecessary step.
Use 1/2 c. per large load. I use a ladle which is 1/2 cup, or you can use a laundry scoop or whatever works. Just so you're scooping it out and not pouring it cuz it's a little messy. I have a dish towel under the jug to catch drips and to lay the ladle on.
Here is the math for how much it costs vs. liquid Purex:
An 80-oz. jug of ultra concentrate Purex was about $7.00, probably more now.
So 2-1/2 gallons of Purex would cost $28.
2-1/2 gallons of my homemade soap costs $1.50.
An 80-oz jug of my homemade soap is 37 cents.
That is the kind of math I like.
