Source: beingcreativetokeepmysanity.blogspot.com via Dawn Marie on Pinterest

Last spring I made this soap but didn’t make a record of it because, well at the time I wasn’t aware I would be sharing these things with you.  So I waited until I need to make more and this time I took some pictures.

• 3 bars Fels-naptha soap
• 1-2 containers oxyclean or store brand oxyclean 3-4 lbs
• 1 box Borax 4 lb 12 oz box (2.15 kg or 76 oz)
• 1 box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda 4 lb (1.81 kg)
• 1 box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda 55 oz (3 lb 7 oz)
• 1 bottle Downy Unstopables 13.2 oz (375 g)

The original post didn’t use the scent booster but I didn’t really like the scent of the Fels-Naptha soap.  You can also use Purex Crystals or Gain Scent Booster, or leave it out.  There is also some debate about which bar soap to use.  It doesn’t really matter as long as it is a laundry soap.  It would not be good to use bath soap as the ingredients are different.

Directions:

Add all the ingredients, excluding the bar soap, in a clean 5 gallon bucket.  It would be ideal if it had a lid, but I just lined mine with a garbage bag, which I can close for storage.  You want to do this part in a well ventilated area, or outside, because you don’t want to inhale the fine dust particles.

Place one bar of soap in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 2-3 minutes.

You want to make sure there are no smooth surfaces, that the whole bar looks like this:

Let the whole bar cool to room temperature, this might take a little while.  Once it is cooled it breaks apart in to a powder.  If you find hot spots just let it cool a little longer.

If there are still smooth surfaces on the bar or it is not cool, it will not crumble into a powder.  It will break into small pieces, just not a powder.  You can see some of the bigger pieces in my picture.  The larger pieces don’t always dissolve completely in cold water.

Alternatively you can grate the soap or run it through the grating blade on your food processor (not a chopper or blender).  That is too much work for me!

Add the soap to the rest of the ingredients and mix well.  It is advisable to do the mixing in a well ventilated area as well.

I store smaller amounts in one of the oxyclean containers for easy use.

Use 1-2 table spoons per load, if using a front-loading washing machine add to the drum not the detergent basket.  Or just follow your washer’s instructions on using a powdered detergent.

Now the smell of microwaved soap might not appeal to you.  My husband was not happy about it and neither was I.  Afterwards I microwaved a bowl of baking soda with water and vinegar.  I would run it for a few minutes to heat up the liquid and then let it sit.  I did this three or four times adding more liquid as needed.  I then wiped out my microwave and left the door open to air it out.

This batch will last 9-12 months depending on how much you use.  I probably use more than I should, but my husband works in construction and I have two boys….

Happy Pinning