"Wisdom has built her House, she has hewn out her Seven Pillars" Proverbs 9:1
I look forward to having you come join me as we work to turn our houses into homes.

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Homestead Supplies: laundry liquid

Well the rain is pouring down here today, so no outside work is going to get done!  However my supply of laundry liquid is getting low, and I have to admit that working close to full time march to mid June, I ended up having to buy lots of washing powder.  I just didn't have the extra time, or energy, or maybe I was just in one of those ruts of " I don't care" mode.......until that is, the shopping docket made me sit up and gasp!   Turns out laziness can be an expensive habit!!!!  So, time to get out the pure soap and get it grated up.   I'm using some of own plain soap, otherwise use velvet soap or a pure soap.
You want to grate up 1/2 cup into small bits.... Bigger bits take forever to melt down.  If you grate up more you can store it in a jar so you have it already to use for next time, and it looks kinda nice in the glass jar!
So stick the grated soap into a large pot over heat..... Today mine was done on the wood heater, where i have my kettle sitting during the winter months, to save using any electricity.  Add 1 1/2 cups of boiling water and stir the soap flakes until they are dissolved.  If they are not properly dissolved then your liquid will separate later.  Once completely dissolved, add 1/2 cup each of washing soda and borax. (Now if you have a grey water system set up going out to the veggies, then omit the borax).  

Add another cup and a half of boiling water and keep on stirring until its all dissolved.  Now we are ready to pour this mixture into 1 large, or equally into 2 smaller buckets to which we add hot water (from the tap). To make up to 9litres in total.  

At this stage I like to put my buckets aside to cool down and begin the setting process ( today, that means out in the cold LOL ).  If use more soap, or less water, you will get a thicker gel.  Just remember that if you plan on being able to pour the liquid from the bottles, you don't want a really thick gel (but you do use a little more in each wash).  In other words, the thicker the gel, the lesser amount you use in the load of washing.
Before they cool down I like to add some essential oil to give a nice smell to my washing....today it happens to be lemon.  Usually I like to use apple, but apparently I'm all out of apple, so lemon it is! When you are happy with the consistency, you are ready to bottle it up.  Using a funnel helps with the bottling process and don't forget to label your bottles so everybody knows what it is AND how much to use.  For this recipe I find 1/4 cup works well, but add more for heavier loads.

I leave a bit of room at the top of each of my bottles so I can give it a good shake before using.  Now that  works out to less than $1 per bottle, and I know exactly what is in it!!!  Print this out and stick it in your binder.   Now im off to do a bit of crochet!     Hugs,  Sharm

5 comments:

Peg - Happy In Quilting said...

All that.....I should try this we spend a fortune on laundry detergent and softner...

Leigh said...

That makes for excellent savings considering the price of laundry detergents these days. I have to admit though, that homemade laundry soap is something I haven't tried yet.

Sharm said...

Peg : yes, that is the total made from yesterday (9 ltrs). I have mine a little more liquids so it can pour easily from these smaller bottles that store nicely in my cupboard. Because it is thinner consistency I tend to use about half a cup for normal loads, more if they are dirtier.
Leigh: you should give it a go, as it is a great money saver, and even if you only use it for sheets and towels it saves. I do have to add a booster when I was my hubbies work clothes as he has dirt, grease and diesel on his. LOL

Bean said...

Hi Sharmayne,
Linked to your blog from a comment you posted on Lynda by the River's blog. We have been making our own laundry soap, basically the same recipe you use, for over three years now. Obviously it works well and we like or we would have stopped using :) Anyway, a bucket of it lasts about a month, so I make up a batch 12 or so times a year, and the ingredients to make a years worth cost around $12 - $13!! That is per YEAR! I LOVE IT>

I was looking at your other blog, and hope that your brain rest did the trick and you are feeling better.

Bean

Sharm said...

Thanks Bean for coming to visit with me and taking the time to leave a comment. Nice to see that you have been doing this for quite some time. And yes, many thanks, my head has recovered from the steel beam hitting it.... I was certainly very lucky (or blessed more the point!). Look forward to seeing you again sometime when you have time to visit.