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Instructions |
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You will need 3 basic
ingredients; a soap of some sort, washing soda and borax.
The Soap- The most typical type of soap to use is Fels Naptha. It is an old-fashioned type of soap usually found in the laundry aisle. The other options for soap are Ivory or another brand called, Zote. Any of these will work. If you use Ivory you will need to use the whole bar.
Washing Soda- This is not to be confused with baking soda. They are not the same thing. Washing soda is sodium carbonate or soda ash baking soda is sodium bicarbonate. It is a white powder. Its purpose is to help remove dirt and orders. The brand to look for is Arm & Hammer Washing Soda. I find it in the laundry section of my grocery store. Many people have a hard time finding this locally. I know you can purchase it on-line, even through Amazon.com. Ask store mgr to carry it.
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Borax- Borax is a naturally occurring mineral- Sodium Borate. It is a white powder. It’s purpose is as a laundry whitener and deodorizer. The brand to look for is 20 Mule Team. It comes in a 76 oz. box. You should be able to locate this in the laundry detergent aisle. Again as with the washing soda, if you cannot find it ask you store manager or look online.
The Recipe
Now that you have assembled all the needed ingredients here is the recipe-
Homemade Laundry Soap
1/3 bar Fels Naptha or other type of soap, as listed above
HALF cup washing soda
HALF cup borax powder
You will also need a small bucket, about 2 gallon size
Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan. Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket. Now add your soap mixture and stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir.
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Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. You use half cup per load.
A few things to note about the soap
The finished soap will not be a solid gel. It will be more of a watery gel that has been accurately described as an egg noodle soup look.
The soap is a low sudsing soap. So if you don’t see suds, that is ok. Suds are not what does the cleaning, it is the ingredients in the soap.
Optional- If you want your soap to have some sort of scent you can scent this with HALF to 1 oz. of essential oil or fragrance oil of your choice. My favorite scent is orange essential oil.
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COSTS ONE PENNY PER LOAD OF LAUNDRY.
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Originally Submitted
6/6/2013
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