I was recently talking to a co-worker of mine that loves Pinterest as much as I do.  She told me how she has made her own laundry detergent and softener from recipes she has found on Pinterest.  I was a little skeptical at first.  I am picky about what I wash my clothes with and how the clothes smell after washing.  I want to be the mom in the commercial that takes the clothes out of the dryer, snuggles the towel against my face, and takes in a deep breath of what we can only imagine is fresh, spring meadow-y goodness.  After checking out different recipes, I decided to go with one and try it.  I did change it just a tad.  The great thing about this recipe is it cheap.  It is also very easy to make.  Did I say cheap?  It only costs less than a cent per load.  You can't beat that, so I decided to try it.  It not only works great, but it smells great too.  Sorry, Tide, but my days of buying you are gone.

Here is what you need:

• 1/3 bar of Fels-Naptha soap.  You can use other bars of soap, different brands call for different amounts.  I used the Fels-Naptha.  I found it in the laundry aisle at the grocery store. 

• 1/2 cup of Borax (also found in the laundry aisle of the grocery store)

• 1/2 cup of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda.  (note: completely different from baking soda and also found in the laundry aisle)

• Essential oils - totally optional and the amount is up to you for how lovely smelling you would like your clothes.  I used a combination of Orange and Tangerine and it is a great, fresh citrus smell.

• A large bucket (2 gallon) or pot to mix everything in.  I use a large pot that I cook corn on the cob in.  I found it easier because I cooked the soap and transferred it right to an orange juice container to store it.  Which brings me to the next need...

• A container to store your soap in.  Some comments from the original recipe said to use an empty laundry detergent container.  I found that the soap does separate a bit, so I shake it up each time I do a load of laundry.  I used empty orange juice containers and they work great! 

Here is what you do:

Cut your bar of Fels-Naptha soap into thirds.  Save the other 2/3 in a baggie for your next batch.  Grate the soap you cut for the recipe. 

Put your grated soap in the pot with 6 cups of water.  Heat on low until the soap melts.  Do not boil the soap.  Once every bit of the soap shavings are melted, add the Borax and Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda.  Stir until the Borax and Soda are dissolved completely.  Continue cooking until the mixture thickens a little, about 10 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Add 4 cups of hot tap water to the mixture.  At this point you can add essential oils, or don't. 

Now add one gallon plus 6 cups of hot tap water.  Stir for a couple of minutes and let it set overnight. 

The next day, you should end up with a pretty thick looking mixture.

The original recipe said to put the mixture in to a blender and then into your container.  I did that with the first container.  It continued to separate even after I put it in the orange juice container.  I left the rest of the mix, needing another container to put it in.  After getting another container for the rest of the soap, I decided to just pour it in the orange juice container, skipping the blending step.  I figured if it was going to separate again anyway, why mess with blending it?  The rest of the soap never separated.  It looks like this:

The detergent is great for HE washers because there are minimal suds.  I used an old measuring cup from the last laundry soap I purchased to measure how much I need per load. 

I love my new soap!  It smells great and works great.  I really like that I can change the smell for the next batch if I want to.  It is a great money saver and one less thing I have to remember to get from the store. 

Later this week...dishwashing detergent.