This post is being made two months after what I am sharing happened. A friend of mine had come across a recipe for making your own laundry soap and had been using it and thought I would be interested in it. She graciously accepted to come and demonstrate how to make it at a monthly class held at our church. I have been using the soap now for two months and I love it. I will never go back to using national brands again. The beauty of this is that I now have a year's supply of laundry soap and it takes up very little space. One of the tips shared that day was to use a "downy ball" and fill with 1/2 cup of vinegar and throw in with the wash. The vinegar will help get all the soap residue out and deodorize your clothes. I have also been using dryer balls instead of dryer sheets in the dryer. I have to say I have less lint and the static is not any worse than when I used the dryer sheets. For those of you who also like your laundry to smell flowery you can use scented oils and put a few drops on some cotton balls and throw them in with your clothes in the dryer. These two changes, making my own soap and using the dryer balls, have made a huge contribution in lessening my cleaning bill. There are many videos on YouTube with similar instructions on making laundry soap and so if my instructions seem as clear as mud feel free to look them up. I will also include a recipe for Black Bean soup that was shared that day that was pantry worthy and delicious. Enjoy!
1 Bar Fels Naptha soap
1 1/2 cups Borax
1 1/2 cups Washing soda (not baking soda)
1 5 gallon bucket with lid
Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan. Add 12 cups water and heat on medium until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from the heat. Pour 8 cups hot water into your 5 gallon bucket and then add the contents of the pot that you removed from the stove and stir. Now add 2 gallons plus 12 cups of water and stir. Cover and let sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. It should have an egg drop soup look. Use 1/2 cup per load or 1 cup for very large loads.
**This detergent does not bubble in the wash but it is cleaning**
Using 1/2 cup washing soda in a gallon of water is also a great presoak and stain pretreatment.
For those of you who would prefer a powder here are the instructions as seen on the Duggarfamily.com website.
1 bar Fels Naptha soap
1 cup washing soda
1/2 cup borax
Grate soap and put in food processor till powdered mix with borax and washing soda and store in covered container. Use 1 tablespoon for light loads and 2 tablespoons for soiled large loads. This should wash approximately 40 loads.
Black Bean Soup
2 cans black beans, undrained
1 c reduced-sodium chicken broth
nonstick cooking spray
1 sm onion chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jar (16 oz) salsa
4 tsp lime juice
2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
In a blender or food processor blend 1 can of beans and broth until smooth. Coat lg saucepan with cooking spray and cook onion and garlic over med heat for about 5 minutes, until soft.
Add blended bean mixture to rest of ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook stirring occasionally for 25-30 minutes.
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