Homeade Laundry Soap

 There is something about living on land that makes me want to go a little pioneer.  Not that the pioneers had these ingredients, but they were self-sufficient.  One of our goals in moving out to the country was to become more self-sufficient.  We want to grow our own fruits and vegetables.  Learn about canning.  Raise chickens for eggs and food. Make more homemade foods.  I also want to reduce our bills.  We plan on installing a wood-burning unit to heat our home with wood.  We are trying to buy bulk, and my husband and I figured out that we can car pool when school starts back in the fall!  This will save us a ton of money.  Another great way to save money is homemade laundry detergent.  I was so tired of paying $15.00 - $20.00 for laundry detergent.  I found a recipe for homemade laundry detergent, and I modified it a bit.  The original recipe called for more ingredients and less of the washing soap and borax.  I found that I could make an excellent laundry detergent using just three ingredients and by adding1 1/2 times the amount of the washing soap and Borax.  All you need is 1 1/2 cups of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda and 1 1/2 cups of Borax along with one bar shredded of Fels-Naptha.  All of these ingredients can be found in the laundry aisle at the grocery store.  They are very inexpensive and last a long time.  The first 5 times I made this recipe I grated the soap by hand.  My honey finally set me up with the Kitchen Aid mixer and this fancy little attachment.  So, what was taking me an hour to do, now takes about 5 min.  I am in heaven! 

Grate the bar of Fels-Naptha and mix it in with the other two ingredients. 

 

You can store in a ziplock baggy or be fancy and store in a glass jar!  It is super easy.  I use three little scoops with the scoop at the bottom of the picture for each large load of laundry.  I never have to use fabric softener and our clothes are clean and fresh smelling!  Enjoy!