Living in the 1890’s: My Laundry

This week I made my own laundry soup.  Inspired by the high cost of laundry products and my passion for trying new recipes, I cooked up a batch of detergent to rival any storebought version.

I was less motivated by the enviro benefits, and more excited about saving money.  But, it turns out, it’s green!

Actually, it turned out to be a pale yellow color.  But washing dirty clothes with it is better for the environment, less toxic for the humans who wear the clothes, and a HUGE savings from store-bought detergent.

On Wednesday, I went to Target to purchase laundry detergent and was blown away by the high price of the detergents.  Plus, the detergent-y smell on the aisle made me a little headache-y and slightly nauseous.

So I came home and googled recipes, and made my own.

I chose dirty towels for my first load with the new soap – complete with sour washcloth.  I am happy to report that all linens are now clean, folded and good-smelling.

And, with this recipe, each load costs about 1-cent worth of soap.  That’s right…one penny.

All ingredients were available at Stewart Brothers Hardware on Madison. They’re a local company, with super helpful employees.  I even got the washing soda for 1/2-price because the box had gotten damp.

Here’s the recipe I chose:

1/3 bar Fels Naptha or other type of soap, as listed above

½ cup washing soda

½ cup borax powder

~You will also need a bucket, about 2 gallon size~

Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan.

Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts.

Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved.  Remove from heat.  Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket.   Now add your soap mixture and stir.  Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir.  Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel.  Use ½ cup per load.

I had some lavender essential oil on-hand, and used about 1/4-ounce for the whole batch.

(recipe from www.thefamilyhomestead.com)

Confession: I did use the dryer. I’m just not motivated to hang towels on the line because they turn out scratchy on my delicate skin. And sometimes I wonder if it’s possible to be too green.

You know, a little MUCH?

While I’m into cooking up some mean recipes on the stovetop, I’m not yet ready to trade in my car for a horse and buggy.