Welcome... And a DIY project!!!

So lately I have been having a lot of time on my hands so I've been trying to find different DIY projects to fill my days so I don't go completely stir crazy! After seeing a few of her things on Pinterest, I have completely fallen in love with everything on onegoodthingbyjillee . And thats where I found part of my inspiration for today's project making my own homemade laundry soap!! I was also inspired to do this because a friend of mine also tried it, and also I am insanely allergic to most laundry soaps and to me free and clear laundry soaps don't get anything clean.


So to make this recipe (and there are a ton of variations online but most contain the same 3 base ingredients) you are going to need 3 things, all of which can be found in the laundry section of your local Wal-Mart or similar such store. 

Item one is Borax, the most trusted brand that I have found is 20 Mule Team. Borax is an all natural laundry booster and multi-purpose household cleaner. It is safe in all washing machines including he washers. It is safe for septic systems, can be stored indefinitely as long as it is kept dry so it is safe to buy a large box. The box I have I found at Wal-Mart for around $3.50 for a four pound box and that, I do believe, should last me at least a year or so and I do laundry about every day. It is safe to use for baby clothes and around pets but still please keep it out of their reach because we don't want them eating it :). 

Item two is Washing Soda, I will repeat that again Washing Soda not baking soda. They will not do the same things. It is also know as Soda Ash and a good brand to get is good old Arm and Hammer. This is another all natural laundry booster that increases soap's cleaning power to get out ground-in dirt and satin, cut through grease, and it also helps neutralize and eliminate odors, not cover them up with perfumes. This really is a wonder product and I use it a lot not only in my homemade laundry soap but also in my homemade "oxyclean" that I will hopefully post soon. A 3lbs 7oz box of this goes for again around $3.50 at Wal-Mart.




The third and final ingredient is Fels-Naptha Soap. This is the actual soap in the laundry soap. It is an old school soap that is great for using as a pre-treatment for stains. It comes in the same type of wrapping as normal bar soap but is in the same aisle as all the laundry stuff. As far as I can tell it only comes in one bar packages but they are pretty big bars and are only $.97 a piece, so you really can't  go wrong!


Finally how to but it all together to make the Laundry Soap! This is a recipe for powdered laundry soap for liquid I would recommend going here:http://tinyurl.com/7rb4uda . There Jillee has an amazing step by step (with photos!) blog post about it.


You with need:
1 bar of Fels Naptha soap (grated, I recommend getting a grater dedicated to this so you  never end up with soapy cheese, I found mine at the dollar store!)
1 1/2 cup of Borax
1 1/2 cup of Washing Soda 


Place all ingredients into an air tight container (again I got one at the dollar store to use just for this) and mix. It really is that easy. The hardest part and the thing that will take you the longest is the soap grating, but all the work is well worth it. All you need is about 1-2 tablespoons per load. For top loaders turn on the machine and let it fill with a couple inches of water, add this soap and let it dissolve a little bit. Then through in your laundry and let the magic happen!


I have to say after using this soap for a few weeks now I think I can safely say that my cloths are brighter and I have had no reaction to this at all. It doesn't give my cloths a strong sent but the do still smell clean and are nice and soft. 


I know this post is kind of a book but I just wanted to be thorough with all my information. I hope you enjoyed and I hope to be back soon with more Things to Fill My Days.