DIY Laundry Soap

​I’ve always felt my super power was the ability to find or create great financial deals! Since becoming a stay at home wife, my day-to-day goal has been to be extra picky about my tiny families finances!
 
I grew up around budget-savvy parents, who taught me the value of the dollar and how “living within your means” was the key to staying financially afloat. However, I’ve come to my own conclusion that living below your means is how to stay afloat.

​To quote Henry David Thoreau, “I make myself rich, by making my wants few.” He’s inspirational, isn’t he? I sure think so. Lessening our wants is a great way to avoid breaking even every month, (on top of a beautiful way to practice contentment and gratitude) but wouldn’t it be better if we could lessen the cost of our needs? Nobody wants to spend their hard earned money on toothpaste, dryer sheets or toilet paper, right? I can think of a million other purchases I’d rather make. I’m sure you could too.
 
What if I told you I made my own five gallon bucket of laundry detergent for less than two dollars? I can bet your first question would be, “How?!”
Well, welcome to my DIY laundry detergent tutorial!

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
INGREDIENTS

• Borax $2.99
• Washing Soda $2.99
• Fels naptha $0.97
• Essential Oils (Optional)

SUPPLIES

• Five gallon bucket
• Cheese grater
• Small- medium size pot
• Measuring tools

If you’re anything like me, when I first saw the ingredients list I wasn’t quite familiar with the items. Trust me on this one, they’re not hard to find. I purchased all of the ingredients from my local Walmart, simply in their laundry detergent aisle!

STEP ONE: grate the fels-naptha soap
Have you ever grated cheese before? I’m sure you have. Same task, just with soap! Grab your cheese grater and gate the soap! Easy-peasy.

STEP TWO: fill a pot with 4 cups of warm water & add grated soap!
STEP THREE: on medium to high heat, watch the soap dissolve!
Note: This process takes about 10 minutes! Set your timer and stir every once in a while

STEP FOUR: fill a five gallon bucket halfway with hot water and add soap mixture!
(I always use our bathtub!)

STEP FIVE: add one cup of borax and one cup of washing soda

STEP SIX: (OPTIONAL) go ahead and add in two table spoons of your preferred essential oil!
So far I have used tea tree oil, sweet orange, lemon and lavender- but the choice is yours!

STEP SEVEN: fill the rest of the bucket up with warm water & attach the lid and let it sit for 24 hours.

​By this time you have finished creating your laundry detergent! Job well done, sweet friends! Once the 24 hours is complete, you can remove the lid and check it out!
 
Although it’s VERY important to note that your detergent will be gloppy! The reason we wait 24 hours is to allow the detergent to gel. Which is exactly what you will find once the wait is over. Do not panic, this is supposed to happen!

​Personally, I find this last step fun! Grab a pair of gloves (or feel free to use your bare hands) and mix the gel into a more liquid consistency. Some people prefer a completely liquid state detergent (much like store bought) So they add the extra step of blending the gel with an immersion blender. This is completely optional and does not change the effectiveness.

As a homemaker, I am always looking for unconventional ways to store ordinary items. There are woven baskets in our pantry and I store our Q-tips in old candle jars! I will do anything to display household items in a pretty fashion!
 The laundry detergent was no exception!

​If you want to fancy-up your detergent, Walmart sells the super cute drink dispenser photographed above- which works fabulously for soap display! Lastly but surely not least, if you would like the free “Homemade laundry soap” printable I used, a quick visit to Pinterest will do the trick!
Remember y’all, a penny saved is a penny earned and you won’t pay taxes on a saved penny!