Homemade Laundry Detergent and Fabric Softener

Liquid Laundry Detergent::

5 gallon bucket
1 paint stir stick for 5 gallon paint bucket
1 bar of fels naptha soap (Dial Corporation)--this can be purchased in some stores, but I found it online at Amazon.com
4 cups almost boiling water
3 gallons hot water
1 cup Borax
1 cup Washing Soda (I found this at my local grocer, but you may have to order it online)

In a pot, boil 4 cups of water. As it is coming to a boil, grate the bar of soap into it. *DON'T LET THE WATER BOIL*
Stir the soapy water until the soap is completely melted.
In 5 gallon bucket, add 3 gallons of hot water. Add the 4 cups of soapy water to this, and stir well with the paint stir stick.
Add the borax and stir again, really well.
Finally, add the washing soda. Again, stir really well.

Let the mixture sit over night and cool.
In the morning, it should be a gelatinous mixture.

Use one cup per load.


Powder Laundry Detergent

1 bar fels naptha laundry soap
1 cup borax
1 cup Washing Soda

In a quart size bucket (a sherbet bucket works well), grate the bar soap. It will come to about 2 cups of grated soap.
Mix in the borax and Washing Soda. Stir it up.

The mixture wont mix evenly, but this doesn't matter.

Use 1/8 cup (that's right) per wash load.


Liquid Fabric Softener

2 cups Washing Soda
2 cups distilled white vinegar
4 cups hot water

In a gallon jug, mix washing soda with vinegar. It will fizz, so the get your kids to help. They'll love it!
When the mixture is finished fizzing, add the 4 cups of hot water.
Put the lid on and give it a good shake. Remove lid until the water cools.

Use 1/2 cup in your fabric softener compartment per wash load.

Happy Homemade Cleaning!