1-bar soap grated   (I use castile soap. I'd never tried these but had seen them recommended. You could also use Fels naptha, Ivory or Zote. If you use Fles naptha you only need 1/3 of the bar.) 

1/2-cup washing soda- (not to be confused with baking soda)

1/2-cup borax

2-gal. bucket  (I make a double batch right away in a 5-gal. bucket)

 

Grate soap into 6 cups water, heat until it melts. Add soda and borax and stir until dissolved. Pour 4 cups hot water into bucket. Now add soap mix and stir. Add 1-gal. plus 6 cups water; stir. You can add essential oil if you like - I use orange essential oil. Let stand for 24 hours and it will gel. It will not be a solid gel, but will have an egg noodle soup look.

 Use 1/2 cup per load.. 

You can transfer the detergent into one of your old detergent containers for easier use.

If you have a hard time finding the washing soda, call Church & Dwight (they put out Arm & Hammer). When I called they offered to send it free of shipping if I ordered more than 2 boxes, because no one in my area carried it.  1-800-524-1328  

 

 

 

Editor's Note: We used this recipe to make our own laundry detergent and took pictures of each step. If you are a visual learner, you may like to look at the pictures of the process. :-)