Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap--It's REALLY Good!

I've been wanting to try to make homemade laundry soap for some time now but I wasn't able to find the correct ingredients. On our little trip together, my husband and I found the missing ingredients at an Amish grocery store! I was not quite convinced that the laundry soap would be very good but when I saw it on the Duggar's Blog, (Of the tv show Eighteen Kids and Counting...) I decided to give it a try! (I'm a big fan of the Duggars, by the way!!)

I really love my new detergent! I haven't put any scent in it because, frankly, I didn't want to spend any more money than necessary and we don't need to have our clothes smell anything but clean to please me! So, for anyone who might be interested, here's the recipe from the Duggar website!

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap

4 Cups of hot tap water

1 Fels-Naptha soap bar ( I couldn't find this so I used Ivory bar soap, which is fine!)

1 Cup of Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda (MUST be washing soda...not baking soda. This can be purchased online at Meijer.com. Also, Arm and Hammer Detergent won't work, either. It has to be the Super Washing Soda!!!!) This is what I found at the Amish store!

1/2 Cup Borax

(You will also need MUCH more water as you prepare this recipe...)

Grate the bar of soap and add to saucepan with the 4 cups of water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.
Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. (I used the BIG container that I had left over from Tidy Cat. Ours is bright yellow...They make great buckets for FREE!!)
Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit over night to thicken. (As I said, I use the empty Tidy Cat bucket and it seems to be about 5 gallons.)
Stir and fill a used, clean laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill the rest of the way with water. Shake before each use. (It will gel. Mine is watery around the edges...)

You can add 10 - 15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled.
(Mine is plain and smells like Ivory hand soap...)

Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)
Front Load Machines- 1/4 Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

I have a new high efficiency front load washer and this works great! It is NOT a very sudsy detergent. I have had a wonderful experience with this detergent and I love the idea that it is extremely inexpensive! I think that I have read somewhere that costs approx. $2.00 to make 10 gallons and that seems to be fairly accurate!!

I've used this for everything we wash and so far it is fine.
I hope this works well for everyone else who might like to try it!

On another note, our family has been reading Ephesians together after supper and I am sooo pleased that my dear husband is really taking charge of this. As you may know, this is not either of our FIRST marriages and I know from my life experiences that I have a real TREASURE in my husband. I never ever thought that I would have a Godly Husband like I have. If anyone ever reads this who is not yet married, please, please, please, wait on the LORD. I finally learned this and He has blessed me with Roger. (Just a side note from someone who KNOWS!!)

Blessings!

Beth