Home made laundry detergent!

The other night, we were trying out home made hot dog buns and Adrianne said, "We are the homemade family!"    Yes, we are.  We make all sorts of things homemade.  We always laugh when we say someone else is weird, because really; we are most likely the weird ones.  With that said, brace yourself for a blog full of the weird (or maybe not so weird) things we make and do.  We love to discover new things we can just make ourselves.  So since today is laundry day, well a laundry day, (it never ends...)  I thought we'd share our HOMEMADE laundry detergent and HOMEMADE dryer sheets!  This is so easy:

Here's all you need:

4 cups hot tap water

1 Fels-Naptha soap bar

1 cup Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda

1/2 cup Borax

All of these ingredients are very inexpensive, which is totally the reason to make your own laundry detergent!
Grate Fels-Naptha and add to saucepan with water.  Stir continually on medium low heat until soap is dissolved and melted.

Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water.   We use a 5 gallon gas container.  We thought it would make pouring easier than a bucket.  After using it for 2 batches though, we think a 5 gallon bucket is probably better so you can stir it. It gets a little lumpy.  We (mostly Jay because it's heavy) just shake the gas container to stir.  Next, add melted soap, washing soda and Borax.  Stir well until all powder is dissolved.  Fill bucket to top with more hot  water.  Stir (or shake) cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

Stir again then fill a used laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill the rest of the way with water.  I actually leave that step out.  I like it more concentrated.  I pour it right under the water in my washer, but that's just my preference:)  Shake before each use because it does get lumpy.

You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons once soap has cooled.  We never have though because we love the smell of Fels-Naptha.  It's kind of a citrus, clean smell.

NOTE:  It has to be Arm and Hammer "Super Washing Soda."  Baking soda, or Arm and Hammer Detergent will not work.  It has to be sodium carbonate.
Yeild:  makes 10 gallons
Use:   top load machine-1/3 cup per load.  Front load machine-1/4 cup per load.