On my quest to make as much of our own stuff as possible, I started making my own laundry soap. It isn’t difficult. You’ve probably seen recipes for it before.

I used one bar of soap (I used Fels-Naptha but you can also use Ivory or Dr. Bronner’s), one cup of borax and one cup of washing soda. I asked Jeff to cut the bar of soap into chunks for me and I put them in the food processor.

And the food processor didn’t want to turn on.

It’s pretty new so I have no idea why it wouldn’t turn on, but I was pretty ticked off and decided I didn’t need laundry soap that badly anyhow. The next morning Jeff said he would take a look at it. It turned right on. I hate my food processor.

Anyhow, after chopping the soap up in the food processor, add the other ingredients and mix it all up. Then add about 15 drops of essential oil and mix it very well. I like using five drops of tea tree oil and ten drops of lemon oil. Tea tree is a natural antibacterial, and lemon has such a clean, fresh scent, I think they are a great combination. I also like using Thieves oil.

I use a coffee scoop that I bought at Walmart to add the soap to my washer. I think it holds about two tablespoons. This is enough for a full load of wash.

Vinegar is good to use as a natural fabric softener. Just add a cup to the rinse water. I promise, the laundry won’t smell like pickles.

What’s your favorite recipe for laundry soap?