Saturday, January 8, 2011

The Frugal Home: Homemade FelsNaptha Laundry Detergent

A popular homemade laundry detergent is made using FelsNaptha bar soap (or Octagon, or Ivory).

You will need:
1 bar FelsNaptha
2 cups washing soda
2 cups borax

Grate the soap, finely, then mix with the washing soda and borax. At this point I think you can stop and just use a tablespoon full in each wash load. However, if you want a liquid detergent, add your dry mix into a pot of boiling water to dissolve. Pour into a 5 gallon bucket, keep adding boiling water one gallon at a time, stirring after each gallon, until the bucket is full. Stir each day until the mixture stays homogenized. It will have a gel like consistency. Add a quarter cup per load of laundry.

While the Orvus Paste is gentler to fabric, if you have small children or live on a farm, the homemade FelsNaptha detergent is better at removing stains, but you will notice eventual fading of your clothing.

God bless,
Pam

1 comment:

  1. I make a similar soap, but instead of the Fels-Naptha, I use a cheap bar of an "Ivory" type soap, 1 cup borax and 1 cup washing powder and 4 gallons water. I've been using it for about a year now and haven't noticed any fading. I love it! So easy to make, cheap to make and works great!

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