Homemade laundry soap is a combination of Fels Naptha, borax, washing and baking soda. Take 3 bars grated Fels Naptha soap, 1 box of borax, 1 box washing soda, and 1 box baking soda.
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I would like to make my own laundry soap. It calls for Fels-Naptha laundry soap, borax, and Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda. I cannot get the soap and washing soda in my area. Would it be okay to use Sunlight pure soap and just regular Arm and Hammer soda instead?
By Pam
Washing soda is very much different than baking soda. The two do not inter-change well, (trust me I know, I tried it the first time I made detergent). However, you can use:
Dawn dish soap (the blue, original kind)
Borax
Washing Soda
Water
Anyhow, what local grocers do you have? I know Wal-mart has these items. However, in my small-town area, the local grocer carries these items all in the laundry aisle, but sometimes if you ask a manager the stores can and will order you these products. It's worth a try! Good Luck!
Patricia is right, you can't replace baking soda for washing soda, it is very different. You can replace the Nels with Zote Soap, however. It comes in large pink and white bars and is the laundry aisle of many grocery stores. It is very good for hand washables also. It is inexpensive.
As for the washing soda, besides Walmart, you can buy it at Kroger Grocery Stores and is probably available at home improvement types (Ace Hardware, Lowes, Home Depot) stores also, I haven't actually checked on that in a while, though.
How do I make laundry soap with Fels Naptha soap?
By Koposhi from Decatur, IL
One very important thing to remember about using the Fels Naptha soap is that you should always remove the wrapper from each bar of soap and let it air dry out. Otherwise, you will experience a problem because the soap will be much too soft to grate.
The Fels Naptha is in bar form so you can grate it first before putting into the hot water. The first time I made detergent I made the powder form which suggested putting the bar (Ivory in place of when making for gentle washing) in the microwave for, I think a minute or so first. The Ivory bar poofs out about ten times its size (it's really fun to watch). Then I put it into my food processor. It crumbles perfectly!
However, I would NEVER use those recipe directions again because it took months for the smell (and taste, whether physiological or not) to be rid of in the microwave. The next time, I made the liquid (gel) form.
Soap bar is an excellent and very inexpensive staple in my laundry room. It has been for years. It's excellent for pre treating! I see it popping up more and more as there are more and more thrifty seekers out there. Thank you Thrifty Fun!
I would like to try the homemade detergent that I have read about on this site, with the ingredients, washing soda, borax, and Fels. What is the amount for each one to do a full load? What is Fels? Thank you for any help.
Homemade laundry detergent is popular and there are dozens of sites with instructions available on the Internet.
Here is a link to full instructions and also a recipe for liquid homemade soap.
I use the smallest measuring scoop that comes on the ring. I also make my soap a little different now. I find it very easy and it requires no shaving of soap. Unless of course I find it for a buck or less.
This awesome is at the dollar tree and it's nice. I use this entire container. They have a very good power to it. I use a entire box of borax and washing soda. I will add in scented beads when they have them. There have been times I found a few small packs of the small soaps on sale. I pick up a few and toss it in.
There have been people happy to come get a zip lock bag of my soap. I have yet to tell anyone what it is. I have used this over a few years now. It's truly a blessing to be frugal. Thumbs up.
Depending on the recipe and method you use to make your laundry soap, it may not turn out the liquid consistency you wanted. This is a page about homemade liquid laundry soap didn't gel.
ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.
I have read different articles on how to make laundry detergent, and tried our own recipe last week. I used Fels Napa bar soap, grated it up, put it on the burner with water covering it until it melted.
I make my own laundry detergent using Fels Naptha bar soap, Borax and Arm & Hammer Washing Soda. I was able to find the ingredients at my local market.
I have saved a ton of money by making my own laundry detergent. I grate a bar of Fels Naptha soap (I buy it in the grocery store for about 79 cents) and add 4 cups of water to it.
