My first time making laundry soap was on Sept 5,2009. Since then I have made 6 batches,or 12 gallons of soap. My initial purchase was a box of Borax,a box of Washing Soda,and two bars of Fels Naptha soap. It was less than $10.
Yesterday, I used the last of my Fels Naptha soap. It lasted 10 months.Each bar is .99 cents. Next week I will buy two more bars. I still have quite a bit of Borax and Washing Soda,since I only use 1/2 a cup of each in each batch. I think I may be able to keep using them until I need to replenish my Fels Naptha again.So it is very possible that I will be able to get almost 2 years of laundry soap with about $12.00. You can't get much better than that! I love my laundry soap. It has a nice,fresh,scent,not overpowering at all. And it cleans like all get out.
Another item I need to replenish is my lye. I was going to make lavender soap yesterday,but discovered that my lye was a tad short of another batch. I have a couple bars of Oatmeal Milk and Honey in use,and a couple small bar left. I did buy some bar soap while I was grocery shopping yesterday as it will take a while once the soap is made to cure. I call it my "back up soap." It's the first time I have bought soap in months! What a nice feeling it is to walk buy something you normally have to purchase,knowing you can make it at home and you are saving money! I order my lye from Brambleberry.com. It costs $10,plus shipping,for 2 lbs of flake lye. I need to send a Hazardous Material Waver Form first before they will send it me,though.
I am going to make Dish Soap. I have found a recipe on Lizzy Lane Farm that I am going to give a shot. I have just purchased dish soap,so it will have to wait. At least I can reuse the plastic container.
Today I am making Strawberry Jam,my first attempt. It shouldn't be bad. Rick's favorite is Strawberry Jam,and we are out,so he is anxious to try it. I think tomorrow I will try my hand at Zucchini Relish.
The boys have gone to get Zach's hair cut,and then they are going to chip up the brush pile,and clear back the tree line,leaving the birches. We are going to move back our compost area,which is growing bigger with the addition of the chickens and turkeys poo and hay/straw/wood shavings. We are going to get it a bit more organized.
It's a sunny,cool,breezy day here. I don't think there is one cloud in the sky. It reminds me of Fall. I love it!!!
I am off to sweep,dust,and make Jam......have a great day!!!!
I'm curious... where do you get your fels naptha? I have been wanting to try making laundry detergent but haven't been able to find the fels naptha and figure I will have to buy it online but would rather get it locally if I can.
ReplyDeleteAlso, what is your recipe? I found one online but it would be interesting to compare it to what you have!
Hi Wendy,welcome!
ReplyDeleteI get my Fels Naptha from Market Basket,a supermarket chain based out of MA. You may have to get it online,but check your local supermarkets. Mine was located in the Health and Beauty aisle with the bar soaps,not the detergent aisle.
I got my recipe from another blog. Here it is:
3 pints of water
1/3 Bar Fels Naptha soap,grated
1/2 cup Arm and Hammer Washing Soda
1/2 cup Borax
2 gallon bucket (I use an old cat litter bucket)
1 QT hot water
hot water
Mix the Fels Naptha soap in a saucepan with 3 pints of water,heat on low until dissolved. Stir in washing soda and Borax. Stir until thickened,and remove from heat.Add 1 quart hot water to a 2 gallon bucket. Add soap mixture,and mix well. Fill bucket with hot water,mix. Set aside until mixture is cool. Use 1/2 cup per load.
You can find the washing soda and Borax in the detergent aisle. I am sure you could use another bar of soap if you have a hard time finding the Fels Napthata-Ivory soap,perhaps? The detergent will be a bit goopy,so don't be surprised!
I use Oxyclean as well,but I put it in after the detergent. Some people say their whites turn gray,which I am sure has to do with whether or not they have hard or soft water. We have well water,so I use Oxyclean,just in case!
I also have this recipe posted on my Sept 5,2009 blog archive.
Glad you found me!!! Good luck!
I finally found the fels-naptha! I also found a Zote bar and an Octagon all-purpose bar. I feel like I hit the jackpot. :) I got all three and figured I could try them all and see which one I like the best. Who knows.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info!!
I'm glad you found the Fels Naptha,with some extra brands to to boot! That's great! I haven't tried other brands,so please let me know how the Zote and Octagon work out when you use them.
ReplyDeleteHave a great day!:)