So, as I was pouring the last drop of laundry soap into our washer, I decided that would be the last bottle I purchase. It's so damn expensive and, inspired by my friend, Nora, I decided to make it myself!
She shared this recipe with me, and through a little digging, I found some tweaks and additions. I wanted to try this out before I shared it with you so I could let you know the scoop.
First up, the recipe!
It's easy peazy, all you need is 2 cups of washing soda, 2 cups of borax, and 1 cup (shaved/shredded Fels-Naptha soap).
You shake it all up, put it in a cute jar or tin you might have laying around and voila! You made laundry soap!
I had to recruit C for the shredding. I realized I need to start working out when my arms were burning after two minutes.
Now, some folks have said that you should use different amounts per wash ranging from 1 Tablespoon to 4. I went ahead and used 4 -- we have two pugs, and frankly, my clothes cannot get TOO CLEAN. (Ya feel me?)
The recipe did not call for any scents, but I added a few drops of lavender oil to my powder. I was unsure if it would actually scent the clothes. And, it didn't, but maybe I just didn't use enough?
The clothes came out of the dryer smelling clean (all five loads I did on Sunday!) and oddly without wrinkles even though I didn't use any fabric softener? Bonus! I have been officially converted to DIY laundry soap.
I heard that using a splash of nice smelling Clarifying Shampoo will get out the extra tough stains and add a nice smell. Another blogger said that she uses regular old hotel soaps or whatever she has laying around instead of the bar of Fels-Naptha. (Good to know!)
Now, a lot of times when I find vintage items, they have stains that are older than me. I have been trying different combinations of the following, and I am pretty sure I can now get ANY stain out, from blood (peroxide!) to pen (alcohol or nail polish remover) to sweat stains (baking soda/vinegar/blue dawn)!
If you have any stain removal tips, I would love to hear them.
(And yes, I am officially my mother. But don't worry, I haven't started ironing our pillowcases just yet.)
Love,
S.S.
That's awesome! I have seen a lot of make your own soap recipes on Pinterest, but wasn't sure if any of them were actually good! This sounds pretty awesome!
ReplyDeleteI've been wanting to make my own laundry detergent! This post makes me more confident about trying it.
ReplyDeleteOooh this is so awesome! I'm all about natural products and cleaners but I know it would be SO much better/cheaper to make my own. We use tons of Borax and vinegar around the house but I still buy the 7th Generation laundry soap, I need to try this! Hope you had a good weekend! :)
ReplyDeleteI'd love to try this...look cheap and fun!
ReplyDelete<3 Cambria
jupefashion.blogspot.com
i have no idea you could even do this!!! how cool
ReplyDelete<3 katherine
of corgis and cocktails