a clean start......

 Like many people I love being able to cut costs in various ways and making your own liquid laundry soap is one of those ways....and is super duper fun. My sweet pea and I spent one afternoon making our own laundry soap...a perfect project for kiddos this summer....plus it teaches them basic measuring skills as well as economics. The ingredients you will need are:

1 cup washing soda

1/2 cup borax

1 bar of soap

approximately 3 gallons water

You will also need a container....I used a large 5 gallon bucket with a lid from my local hardware store. Something to stir your mixture...I used a long handled wooden spoon Also another large cooking pot to boil water in and melt your bar of soap. Lastly a grater....I used a cheese grater for grating my soap.

 First thing you need to do is boil 4 cups of water in your large pot. While you are waiting for your water to boil you can grate your bar of soap. I used Lever 2000....my husband loves the fragrance. But in the meantime I think it would be nice to use honeysuckle or peony soaps...which can by found in various etsy shops.  Once you have grated your bar of soap you should have a bowl that looks like the picture above. Your water should now be boiling and you should turn your heat down to simmering and add your grated soap to the water.

 Now just continue stirring until your soap is completely dissolved and you have soapy water. This was perfect for my sweet pea to do while I followed through with the next steps.

  You will need to fill your 5 gallon bucket with 3 gallons of warm tap water. Now add your washing soda and borax to the warm tap water in your bucket and stir until dissolved.

 Your soapy water on your stove top should be ready to add to your borax, washing soda and water mixture in your 5 gallon bucket. Stir until everything is completely mixed and cover with a lid or you can use a clear saran wrap of sorts. I left mine in the laundry room for 24 hours to set up. After your have left your soap to set up for the 24 hours your soap can look like a variety of things...from chunky, slimy or watery. Any appearance is fine.....just stir again really well to break up any chunks you might have and break up the mixture. You can certainly use a measuring cup and use right out of the bucket....I prefer to use smaller containers. I saved milk jugs and bleach containers and filled them up with a funnel and a liquid measuring cup. I left each one of my containers with a little room to spare for shaking them up before each use.

Now you have liquid laundry soap to use or give as gifts. When figuring how much money I can save by making my own laundry soap...it was just exciting. Normally I spend about 40-50 cents per load of laundry with my store bought laundry soap. Now I am spending less than a penny per load. The great thing about making and using your own laundry soap are there are no chemicals....so it is great for anyone with sensitive skin, you are saving money AND the liquid soap is perfect for those with HE front load washing machines. Your clothes smell great and are as clean as ever before. Have fun.....spend the day with the kiddos and make some laundry soap!