What’s this have to do with Photography? Nothing.
It’s just that I very sensitive skin and this is one of the few detergents that work for me. And it’s CHEAP! And I like making stuff.
4 cups of hot tap water
1 Fels Naptha Soap Bar, ~$3.99 a bar
1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda, ~$2.99 a box
1/2 cup Borax, ~$4.29 a box
Approximate cost to make 5 gallons of laundry soap $4, and 30 minutes of your life. How hard is that folks.
I hate Walmart, but sadly that is the only storefront place I could find the Naptha bar and the washing soda. Easy to find online but I’m big on buying local. So save yourself some time and just go to Walmart already.
You will also need:
1 5 gallon bucket
1 4-6 quart stainless steel sauce pan
1 stainless steal mixing spoon
1 stainless steel cheese grater
I bought all these items at Goodwill. When picking out plastics please keep in mind that plastic will absorb chemistry….so give some thought to what was in it before and think twice about using it again. All of these items are dedicated to making lotions, soaps and detergents. Never used again with food. But that’s just me.
Start by grating the Fels Naptha Soap bar into the sauce pan.
Add water. Stir over medium low heat until soap is melted and dissolved.
Then pour into the 5 gallon bucket.
Fill bucket 1/2 full of hot tap water. Add 1 cup Arm & Hammer washing soda.
Fill the bucket the rest of the way with hot tap water and let sit over night.
Now personally we like to just let it sit in the 5 gallon bucket and fill up a quart jar as needed (it’s easier to handle/pour into the machine).
Now my friend Pebbles who gave me this recipe likes to fill up old soap containers. So figure out what works for you.
Either way, fill containers half full of soap (soap will be like a gel now) and half with water, shake each time before using.
Top load machines take 5/8 cup per load. On our front loader we use 1/3 to 1/2 cup per load.
fyi-a 5 gallon bucket lasted my husband and I 9 months…..for $4. It’s easy math folks.






























































































































































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