Homemade is Best

My brother is into making home made laundry soap. I have had a recipe for years for it and never quite got my act together to make it. Turns out he makes up five gallons about once or twice a year. That is a lot of soap for less than $10. I bought two quarts from him to try it out.

I am happy with it! There is a faint scent from the basic bar soap that is used as part of the base but other than that it is four ingredients. Homemade soap does tend to separate as it sits in your laundry room so you have to stir it up before you use it. I use the same amount of the home made soap as the standard commercial products.

You will need a large stock pot and a stirring attachment for a drill along with a five gallon bucket with a lid. About an hour of your time and maybe ten dollars of ingredients for a whole lot of soap. Of course there are no whiteners or bleach in this mix, nor is there any heavy scents.

The last time we bought commercial laundry soap I wrote the date on it when we opened it. We are still working on a container we purchased in March of 2023. It takes two of us a long time to use up a gallon and half (almost 6 liters). If you make up five gallons of soap you may want to share it or cut the recipe in half or even thirds. Save your commercial laundry soap container to refill with your homemade version.

Recipes are easily found on YouTube and Google. They have similar themes: Fles-Naptha or similar bar of soap, washing soda and borax.

There is something exceedingly satisfying in making up everyday products like soap. Or even sewing up new pillow cases or repairing clothing. There is so much that we throw away daily, being able to cut that even by a small amount is a good feeling.