Homemade Laundry Detergent

After wanting to do it for over a year, I FINALLY got around to it! My homemade laundry detergent. I love it! It makes the clothes all soft and it cleans them up well too. I always use the recipe and instructions from The Family Homestead. She does a great job with the instructions, so I'm not going to recreate it. But I will share my pictures and tips with you.

Here are my ingredients...

I bought the Fels-Naptha in the detergent section of Stater Bros. Every time I went to the store, I would look in the soap section! Or you can buy it by clicking on the link through Amazon.

The Borax can be bought at the store or through amazon again.

The Soda Ash I buy at the pool supply store because I am there often enough anyway. I did find some on Amazon if you don't have a pool supply store near you, but I have not had a chance to price compare.

When you grade the soap, be very careful! I graded my knuckle off the first time. That didn't feel good, but at least it was clean, right.

Stir the soap and water mixture until it dissolves completely.

After I pour my cooked soap into the 2 gallon bucket, I stir it a bit, then let it sit undisturbed for 24 hours. It jells up nicely if you have all the ingredients measured correctly. My first batch didn't gel, it always separated so I had to stir it before each use. I'm excited to use the nicely gelled batch.