Tips on Tuesday: Laundry Detergent Again

I have new information that some of you have been looking for. Although I take ridicule for watching "17 Kids and Counting" (Duggar family), they use the same recipe that I use but they turn it to a liquid version for their HE (high efficiency) washing machines.

To see my prior posts regarding laundry: Click Here.

The recipe I use for Powdered Laundry Detergent/Soap:

3 Cups grated Fels Naptha Soap (it's one entire bar)

1 1/2 Cups Borax

1 1/2 Cups Washing Soda

Mix together and use 1 Tbsp per load. Use 2 Tbsp. for a heavily soiled load.

The Duggar Family when #17 (Jennifer) was born. Recently, #18 (Jordyn-Grace) arrived.

The Duggar Recipe for Liquid Laundry Soap:

Jim Bob and Michelle: We use Fels-Naptha bar soap in the homemade soap recipes, but you can use Ivory, Sunlight, Kirk's Hardwater Castile or Zote bars. Don't use heavily perfumed soaps. We buy Fels-Naptha by the case from our local grocer or online. Washing soda and Borax can normally be found in the laundry or cleaning aisle. Recipe cost: approximately $2.

Homemade liquid laundry soap
Ingredients:4 cups hot tap water

1 Fels-Naptha soap bar

1 cup washing soda

½ cup Borax
Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.
Fill a five-gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.
Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (It will gel.)
Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per two gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.
Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons. Top-load machine: 5/8 cup per load (approximately 180 loads). Front-load machine: ¼ cup per load (approx. 640 loads).

****Note from Robyn*****

The Duggar's use less Borax than I do. Borax is a booster so using more or less is a personal preference.

Additionally, my friend Emily wanted to give us all a Shout Out regarding Shout Advanced!

Emily writes:

"I want to give a "shout out" to Shout Advanced. It is the spray bottle that is blue. Anyway, I liked the original Shout ok, but I LOVE Shout Advanced. A couple of weeks ago, {my daughter} fell in the parking lot at Target. She had on pink cords. Anyway, she stood up and they were black. I sprayed what felt like half the bottle on them, and they came out clean! I have been using this a while, and everything I have sprayed it on has come out 'perfectly' clean. Thought your viewers might want to know!"

Thanks Emily!! I've been looking for a stain remover that really works. I've been adding all fabric bleach to my loads to help, but I will give Shout Max a whirl.