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Laundry Detergent Formula

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Formula for Liquid Laundry Soap – Front or Top Load Machine

Ingredients / Items Needed

  • 4 Cups Hot Tap Water
  • 1 Bar Fels-Naptha Soap
  • 1 Cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*
  • 1/2 Cup of Borax
  • Saucepan
  • Grater
  • (A clean) Five-gallon Bucket with Lid
  • A 2-3 gallon bucket with pour spout
  • 5 Gallon Mixer Bit & Drill 
  • Large stir stick or spoon
  • Used and rinsed laundry detergent or fabric softener jugs (# jugs should equal about 10 gallons)
  • 2 x Funnels (to fill jugs)
  • Labels or Permanent Marker (to re-label jugs)
  • Plastic Drop cloth if working indoors

Instructions – Day 1

  1. Grate the 1 bar of Fels-Naptha Soap and add it to saucepan containing 4 Cups of Hot Tap Water.
  2. Stir continually over medium-low heat until the Fels-Naptha Soap dissolves and is melted.
  3. Spread out the plastic dropcloth and arrange the 5 gallon buckets in the center 
  4. Pour hot tap water into an empty five-gallon bucket until it is HALF FULL.
  5. Add the following ingredients to the five-gallon bucket that is now half full of hot tap water:
    • Fels-Naptha melted soap mixture,
    • 1 Cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda, and
    • 1/2 cup of Borax.
  6. Stir the mixture of ingredients in the five-gallon bucket until all powder is dissolved.
  7. Add more hot water to the five-gallon bucket until it is filled to the top.
  8. Carefully stir the mixture of ingredients in the five-gallon bucket again.
  9. Cover the five-gallon bucket with the lid and let mixture sit overnight to thicken.

Instructions – Day 2

  1. The next day, remove the lid on the five-gallon bucket
  2. Optional: Add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Only add if mixture has cooled.  Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.
  3. Stir the mixture in the five-gallon bucket
  4. Pour the mixture from the 5 gallon bucket into the smaller 2-3 gallon bucket 
  5. Using the funnel, fill the empty laundry soap jugs/containers HALF FULL with soap mixture and then fill rest of way with water 
  6. If using food containers, remove the food labels 
  7. Add the new Laundry Detergent Labels OR in large and legible writing label each container/jug of detergent with permanent marker as “LAUNDRY DETERGENT.” 

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)

*Arm & Hammer “Super Washing Soda” – may be purchased in some stores or online.  Baking Soda will not work, nor will Arm & Hammer Detergent – It must be sodium carbonate.

Here’s a short video of the detergent being made!

You can also download the Liquid Laundry Soap – Formula

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