Homemade Laundry Soap

Disclaimer...I had not tried this before I posted it...silly me!!  So, I used too much water...LOL!  It is still just watery.  But I simply doubled the amount I put into the washer and called it good.  So, NEXT TIME I will try adding only 22 additional cups after the first 10 (I adjusted the recipe below to reflect that).  :)  Post any comments on what worked for you! That would be FANtastic!  (6/13/12 - I made my second batch of the soap today.  I actually enjoyed using the soap the first time I made it, it was just watery. I spilled it down the front of my washer a lot.  Haha! Until I decided to put it into an old laundry soap bottle.  It made our clothing smell fresh without the perfume-y kind of smell.  The clothes came out just as clean as they did with Gain and Tide.  Woot!!!!)

In an effort to save money and be...awesome...Hahaha...I decided to try making my own laundry soap. So, I found a couple of different blogs with recipes and made a combination of them to try out for our family. 

This is what I did:
1/2 bar of grated Dr. Bonner's bar soap (I used Citrus) ( You can use Tom's of Maine for a less expensive, natural version.  If you don't need to worry about natural soaps you can also use Fels Naptha, or Ivory)
1/2 cup borax
1/2 cup Arm and Hammer washing soda
1/4 cup Oxy clean (optional)
a few drops of Essential oil for scent (lavender or tea tree work well, I used both.  I added about 10-15 drops of each.)
5 gallon bucket with a lid
water

First, grate 1/2 of the soap and put it into a large saucepan. Add 6 cups of water and heat until soap melts. Add the washing soda, borax, and stir until dissolved. Pour 4 cups of hot tap water into the bucket. Add soap mixture and stir together. Add essential oil. Add 22 cups of water. Stir. Cover and let the soap cool and set up for about 12-24 hours.  Then add the Oxy Clean (I found I don't like to add the oxy clean to the soap.  I only add it if needed in a load now) and it will remain gelled.  Yay!  If you add the oxy clean along with the washing soda and borax the mixture will not jell up, but it still works great!!

When the finished product jells up it won't have a normal consistency. Part of it will be like jello and part will remain liquid. It's all the same thing and dissolves in the laundry tub. No need to try and break it up. Each load takes about 1/2 cup of laundry soap.

Pour your mixture into a large empty laundry soap container that has a spigot for easy dispensing!

Here are the websites that I got most of my info from:
http://grocerycartchallenge.blogspot.com/2008/10/homemade-laundry-soap-wfmw.html
http://allaboutclothdiapers.com/homemade-laundry-detergent-safe-for-cloth-diapers/

This website give more good information:
http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/laundrysoap.htm

I made my second batch on June 13th and because I added the Oxy Clean along with the washing soda and borax it is still liquid-y but it still works, so I'm not going to fret about that.  LOVE LOVE LOVE that I can add all of these products to my home storage and have enough to last me for a year easily.  I LOVE to save money and feel good about something I accomplished!!