wesleyds Smith wrote:I don't know if this is where it belongs but I came across this tip and have been using it for over a year.
grate one bar of fels naptha soap and dissolve it in 4 cups of water on the stovetop. DON'T LET IT BOIL OVER!
in a 5 gallon bucket add one cup of WASHING soda and 1/2 cup of borax with enough warm water to dissolve it.
once everything is dissolved add it together and add cold water to fill the 5 gal bucket.
This will need to be blended (I used an electric drill with a paint stirrer) the next day. This stuff is a concentrate and should be mixed in a recycled laundry soap bottle 50/50 with water.
Use it just like any other laundry liquid. We use it in our front loader machine and it works wonderfully. The bar of soap could also be Kirks Castille. I think you could even use homemade lye soap. There are a couple of options for fabric softener too.
1. White vinegar. Use like any other fabric softener liquid. This is what we use and it works very well.
2. put one bottle of liquid fabric softener into a 5 gal. bucket and top it off with water. mix it up and throw in a couple of sponges. Squeeze out a sponge and throw it in like a dryer sheet.
Both of these are great money saving ideas and I hope in this economy it helps just a little.
This is a very good, simple, and effective recipe. Also, very cheap compared to store bought. I use the vinegar as a fabric softener as well. I rub the concentrate into stains before washing with excellent results.
Fels Naptha has been difficult to get at a price that makes sense. The Amazon prices are ridiculous. If you like the Fels Naptha soap, do a little digging online til you find a price that seems logical. I am in central PA and found it at a store called Rural King which I did not know existed before my search for reasonably priced laundry soap.
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