Makin' Suds!

Today, the kids and I made our own laundry detergent.  In terms of birds and stones, this task killed many with just one.  For one, it provided an astronomical amount of detergent (240+ loads) when I had run out.  For two, it took care of Eli’s schooling for the day since he got to measure the ingredients (math) and “mix the potion” (science).  For three, it freshened up the smell of the house – thank you Fels Naptha.  And lastly, it was a project that I could do with the kids, a project that entertained them and kept them occupied without the use of toys or television.

Measuring.

The recipe I used was quite simple.  Three ingredients: Fels-Naptha, Borax, Washing Soda.  Three steps.

That’s it.  So easy.  The *hardest* part was grating the Fels-Naptha.   And guess what, it is especially beneficially for hard water.  Guess what else, it is for cold-warm temperatures.  Not that it will behave badly when in hot water.  I used it in hot water today.  It suds up beautifully and rinsed super clean.  I actually made it specifically for hot water washes. 

Step 1:  Grate your soap.  One bar of Fels-Naptha yields about 6 cups of grated soap.  I used a microplane grater for super small flakes.  And do not fret about the soap on the grater, the Fels-Naptha rinses off so cleanly!  I still had a little chunk left after my 6 cups and plan to keep it on hand for stain treatment!

Step 2:  Measure out 3 cups of Borax and 3 cups of Washing Soda.

Step 3:  Mix together and store in a sealable container.

1 Tablespoon = Light Loads
2 Tablespoons = Heavy Soiled Loads

My arsenal of cleaners:  Soap Nuts, Home-made detergent, Rock in Green

Safety disclaimer:

Fels Naptha – according to the Fels-Naptha website, the ingredients are as follows: 

  ”Soap (sodium tallowate*, sodium cocoate* (or) sodium palmate kernelate*, and sodium palmate*), water, talc, cocnut acid*, palm acid*, tallow acid*, PEG-6 methyl ether, glycerin, sorbitol, sodium chloride, pentasodium pentetate and/or tetrasodium etidronate, titatium dioxide, fragrance, Acid Orange (CI 20170), Acid yellow 73 (ci43350)” (http://www.felsnaptha.com/) 

Borax – Sodium tetraborate.

Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda – sodium carbonate.

  Now, I will let you decide on whether or not you feel that this a “greener” choice for laundry.  I am not going to toot the all-natural, super-safe horn here because the ingredients are admittedly caustic and should be kept out of reach of children.  And obviously one look at the ingredients for the Fels-Naptha and you can see that there are chemical agents in there.  However, I personally feel that this is a more eco-friendly choice for a couple of reasons including, but not limited to, the packaging of the materials used.  So I find it justified. 

 **In case you were wondering, I have not given up on soap nuts.  I am still nuts for nuts. I just am not-so-nuts about nuts with towels and bed linens.  The heavy linens and towels keep the soap nuts from agitating sufficiently and I was getting a not-so-clean feeling from them.  And so, I made my own. :)