My Mix Laundry Soap

My Mix Laundry Soap. Yay!!
  Okay, it’s not homemade in the sense I got lye soap, a cauldron and bubbled and burbled my own concoction- haha!  but it’s my MIX, and it’s really good, lasts longer, and is a fraction of the cost of name brand laundry soaps! It’s more natural in ingredients than most name brands, and less offensive on the perfumey chemical trail. Plus, I do not have any allergic reaction to it! YAY!

  I have found I can make: 1 trip to the grocery store, spend about $39, use up about an hour of prep and mixing, and in the end, have an effective, and extremely good smelling laundry soap that is amazingly only a fraction of the cost of my old store bought brand.

You will need:

Ingredients:
1 (4 lb) 20 Mule Team Borax
3 (1lb) boxes of Baking soda  (for homemade Washing soda***) or 1(3 lb) Box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (***make your own, as I  did; directions at the end- by using 3 boxes of Baking Soda)
1 (3 lb) Container of OxyClean
2 (14 oz) Bars of Zote Soap
4 (1 lb) Boxes of Baking Soda
3 (28 oz) Bottle of Purex Crystals Fabric Softener (100% optional!) There are 3 scents offered by Purex Crystals, use whichever one you prefer- or leave this out to eliminate the fragrance altogether.

Supplies: 1 large bucket, clean, dry inside, with lid; 1 cheese grater and old mixing bowl, wood spoon, and 1baking sheet if making washing soda.

Step 1: 

 Grate the soap! Grate into a large mixing bowl. The grated Zote soap dissolves just fine, even in cold water;  but,  the finer the pieces- the faster it dissolves, so using a small grater is best. When you finish grating, the hardest part is over – now it’s just time to mix.

 

Step 2: Mix in the bucket!

I used a large bucket and poured the ingredients in segments. I took a small amount of each and layered it on top of each other, then I grabbed a large wood mixing spoon, and mixed it together each time.  My husband helped with this, I poured -while he mixed. We do this outside on the back porch, as it does pouf clouds of powder easily as you pour and mix. Go slow and less pouf will occur.  Pouring it in in segments just made it easier to completely mix.

To USE: 

 You only need 1-2 Tablespoons per load depending on the size! I just recycled/reused the Oxy Clean container. I had it available after all was poured in,  and it's so easy to refill as needed!   I just scoop my mixture right back into the now empty tub, and wahh-lahh, my detergent has a perfect container! YAY!!!! The Oxy clean scoop says 1,2,3,4, right on the side! Perfect to sit on your laundry room shelf! I have found the scoop filled to the line 2 is enough for my large capacity load! The Purex crystal bottles work great, too, especially if you are sharing! 

Note: because this laundry mix is low suds, it IS safe for HE washers.

Try to keep the remaining bucket mixture in a dry/cool location. To store the remaining mix,   I recycled one of my husband's 5 gal buckets from the garage, cleaned it out, and now store the remaining laundry soap in it! Sits perfect in the dry storage area in the garage, ready for refills.

 

  As with  most of these DIY posts, I am not the originator. Although all words & pictures are mine, the original recipe and concept was not.  I originally found this DIY Laundry Soap mix recipe by author Jen, from DIY Diaries. On this site: http://www.howdoesshe.com/cheaper-and-better-diy-laundry-detergent/

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**Washing Soda
The original recipe I found for this detergent, called for Super Washing Soda- and I couldn’t find it in the area I live in. :( Ugh. However, I did some more research and found you can actually make Washing Soda- DIY -at home, on your own.

It turns out Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda is Sodium Carbonate.which you can easily change from Sodium Bicarbonate (baking soda) using one key item- HEAT. The heat evaporates off the "Bi" of bicarbonate creating Sodium Carbonate.
 
So, Heat your oven up to 400-475° F. Pour the 4 boxes of Baking soda onto cooking sheets and bake for at least 1 hour. Each time you check it, stir it a bit to ensure all is changing. When I did, I noticed a "poof" of what appeared to be steam rising off the baking soda. After one hour, the “steam” was gone. (The ‘poof like steam’ is the water and carbon dioxide evaporating off)

Take it out of the oven, and let it completely cool. Once cooled, it’s ready to use in the laundry mix. (Note: Although Baking Soda is naturally safe to eat- sodium carbonate (Washing Soda) is NOT safe to consume- so take care in the kitchen to not spill, or wipe away from any surfaces that might touch your food later. And clearly label any jars or canisters you use when storing it. It's a fantastic cleaner! Just don't store it beside your regular baking soda.)

When making my laundry soap, I set the baking soda in the oven first, then went outside and started grating the Zote Soap. By the time I finished grating, dealing with the kids, taking a bathroom break, etc… about an hour was over, and all I had to do was let it cool while I gathered the supplies, bucket, and prepared to mix.

Done! Homemade laundry soap that cleans bright, doesn’t fade my colors, and smells fantastic! All for $39. For me this recipe lasts about 7-8 months- sometimes longer. Saving me mega amounts on my budget.  (Well over $100!) Super frugal, super smart and great results! It is worth the time taken once every 7-8 months.








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