Homemade Laundry Soap

I've decided I'm going to try a new posting schedule. We'll see how it goes....

After seeing so many pins on Pinterest for how to make your own laundry soap, I decided to give it a try. I started wading through all the recipes, but being someone who makes my own soap from oils and lye and water, I just could see grating down a bar of someone else's soap to make "my own" laundry detergent. Plus I really don't like using my food prep utensils for soap making, and grating soap with my cheese grater or food processor just weirds me out.

So after reading the posts, it looked like people were using these bar soaps to boost the stain removing power of the detergent, so I started scouring the internet trying to find a different solution. It came to me ironically while I was reading someone's blog post (honestly I'm not sure which blog had the link), but it took me to a site with a lot vintage American women's magazine articles with tips, including using cream of tartar as a stain remover!

So all of that is to say I tried out this recipe in a half batch first, and have been using it for the last several months, and LOVE it! I used this recipe for my base, and adapted from there. Here is my recipe for laundry soap (without grating a bar of soap):

You will need

6 cups Borax

4 cups Baking Soda

4 cups Washing Soda

4-5 oz Cream of Tartar (about 2 spice jars)

I also use a large bowl and spoon that I do not use for food prep (personal preference)

Mix everything together until it is well combined

 And you will of course need a container to put your finished laundry soap in. I loved this large mason style jar. I found mine on sale at Fred Meyer, but I've seen them at several stores. You could also use a plastic tub, or any kind of glass jar or ceramic container.

Gently spoon your finished mixture into your container of choice.

And voila! You have a giant jar of laundry detergent. Like I said earlier in this post I made a half batch of this  several months ago to test out the recipe. It lasted me about 6 months, and I loved it! 

I have had no problems getting clothes clean, and there is no sticky residue. If you do ever put in too much soap, you can always add a few tablespoons of white vinegar to your rinse cycle. It gets out any extra soap with no gross vinegar smell or heavy perfumes from fabric softeners. I've found it also helps keep my washing machine from smelling mildewy.

What do you guys think? Have you tried making your own household cleaners?