Laundry Recipes and Tips  Note! You are advised to double-check the formulation of all recipes before making any of them. Recipes using sodium or potassium hydroxide should be run through a lye calculator before use. Copyright Notice! All content provided on this Web site, excluding button icons,  graphics, images, noted original author's works is the copyright of Rebecca Erisch, and is protected by applicable U.S. and international copyright laws. Information may be used for personal use only. Any other use--including display, distribution, modification, republication, reproduction, or transmission--of the content on this Web site is strictly prohibited. Copyright (c) 2005 Rebecca Erisch. All rights reserved.     Thanks to Steph for gathering the info found here, : )   Laundry Soap Recipes and Ideas   By and large, the most suggested recipe for laundry soap is 100% lard. Superfatting ranges from 0% to even as high as 6%. Some recommend a blend of soy oil or shortening or coconut oil. Others use end pieces, trimmings, or ugly soaps. Some like to powder their soap with borax, baking soda, or washing soda. Others like to melt it down in water for liquid soap. There seems to be no one way that works best, it seems to be a matter of preference. Below are some recipes and suggestions…   Bars of laundry soap can be used as stain sticks. It is not recommended to use rancid soap for laundry.       I found this recipe in my recipe box. I think I cut it out of an old Capper's Weekly paper years ago. I have never tried it.                   Granulated Soap   1 can lye 7 cups cold water 2/3 cup of borax 1 cup Purex or Clorox 5 pounds melted grease      Dissolve the lye and borax in water, let grease melt until it is uncomfortable to finger. Add purex to lye water and pour slowly over grease and stir. Stir at intervals until it is granulated.   Hope this is the one you are looking for.   Lo Ree       Just thought I would share my experience this past week using my extra liquid soap as laundry soap --- Excellent results so far... I even had a shirt with some old spaghetti sauce stains that I had tried commercial detergent and shout and biz on with no results - tossed it in with my handmade liquid soap and the stains are completely gone.  And the clothes came out soooooo soft and smelling so good. The liquid soap that I used was actually shower gel made using coconut, olive, caster and jojoba with KOH ---- I had colored it slightly with FD&C dye and also used fo's.    I will definitely start making my own liquid laundry soap - now to start working on a recipe specifically for that.  I have well water that is extremely soft and wash mainly in cold or lukewarm water so I think having the soap already liquid is going to be more effecient for me. Thanks for everyone's recommendations on trying KOH LQ soap as laundry soap. Jane   Lard, lye and water...choose the amount of lard you want to use, and run it through the MMSage calculator. CHoose the lye amount for 0% excess fat. Add a bit of orange EO at trace for it's grease/oil cutting ability, if you wish.  Work with temps in the 120 F range, for lard is a solid at room temp fat.   Veggie version - a lot of people go with Crisco shortining. Follow all the things I said above. :)   When the soap has been unmolded, grate after 24 hours, leave spread out to air dry.  You can use immediately, since this is not contacting skin.  Once it does air dry, you can further powder it for even easier dissolving in water. I wash in cold water only, so the powdering thing is essential. :)   hth, Camille Listmom2/List Moderator         If, they are superfatted highly, make a batch of plain coconut soap with no superfat (0 %).  (This is when HP comes in great <g>). And when ready to use add high sf at 1 part - 4 part no sf soap.   To grate for dry powdered soap ...thrift store, garbage sale, etc.  grab a salad shooter . Works great for this & grate up all of your unwanted soaps and end pieces, etc.  Allow it to dry thoroughly. If, no shooter, the handy dandy hand grater can be used (great for upper arms <g>). Thinking that using a blender would tax the motor over time.   I think powdered is used at 1/4 cup per load. (I make liquid for myself).  If, you have hard water add borax to the load (yes, I've seen it add to the soap powder also) . And use white vinegar for your rinse water (eliminates static & funky brown spots from fabric softeners) . HTH,   Hel : )   Cavitch's book the Soapmaker's Companion (think that's it, don't have it in front of me) has a laundry soap which calls for it along with borax and washing soda.  I think her recipe is all vegetable oils.  I made up my own recipe using tallow and lard, and then adjusted the amounts for the other stuff.  I didn't like it at first because it was kinda stinky (smelled like the animals fats), but I think that is because I didn't let it cure long enough.  It works pretty darn good now.  I'd say almost as good as my regular laundry detergent.  I can't smell any of the ammonia, but I didn't use much, like 1/2 cup to 10lbs of fats.  I'd have to check my notes to be sure. Christa       use lard. and don't superfat. weigh out your lard, then plug it in the lard spot on the lye calc of your choice. superfatting will just add oil to your clothing, do you want that? some people use fos/eos in their laundry soap, i personally just add a smidge of sweet orange eo. i also cut my laundry soap into stain stix first. they only need one week cure. hth! loves, peg       I used to use only the soap without any helpers added and had a film build up in my washer and dryer, this caused problem with my washer and the repair man was the one that helped me figure out what was causeing the problems. And since starting to use more Borax and Baking Soda in my laundry soap and also adding white vinegar to help cut any film, the laundry is great and no build up. And I can't leave the FO out eather, I love aroma and have not found any EO's except Lavender and Rose Geranium that I like the aroma of the cloths after washingRita...Homeschooling Mom in Georgia TLC Soaps & Sundries http://www.tlcsoaps.com/soapmaking.htm     Another nice laundry soap is lard and soybean oil.  I know some make an all veggie based laundry soap, but I noticed it did not get out the serious stains as well. :)   Camille List Moderator   The other bonus of using lard laundry soap is that there is no longer a need to use fabric softener.  Just use a cup of vinegar in the rinse cycle instead.     From: Cindy Langston <quilts4me@netscape.net>   I have grated up my regular soap and used for laundry soap but I make it into a liquid.  Mix 1 lb. grated soap with 8 cups water.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 mins.  This will thicken over a few days.  Use 1 cup of this with 1/4 cup borax.  I also use about 1/4 cup vinegar in my rinse cycle as a fabric softner and to rinse out any residual soap.  Good luck.   According to our dear JD, lard soap is the best thing for laundry, especially for getting out stains.  Tell us if you see a difference in the cleanliness of your laundry when using this batch!    >lard soap is the best thing for laundry, especially >for getting out stains. >Patti K       I am coming in late but I wanted to say that I make my laundry soap out of 100% lard and superfatted at 0%.  I do it the CPHP method (crock pot hot process) and then shred the soap.  I put 1 cup of shavings per 4 cups water into a bucket and usually fill my rather large bucket up almost full and use about 4 cups of the mixture per load of laundry....... not a problem here and dh can't tell :) Angie     I melt my shavings and add water to them.  No oily spots and makes a great laundry soap.  I also use my leftover paste from liquid soap making, which I dissolve.  Just pour it into my recycled store bought laundry soap containers.  I like the liquid best with laundry, it dissolves better and you can use cold water.  Lots of suds with the liquid left overs. Ginger     The easiest to make is use 1 #  of any grateings ( scraps, uglys , etc. ) Add 1 gallon hot H2O. Put into large pot & simmer 10 mins. until soap is melted. Pour into closed container, so it doesn't dry out. Makes a jelly type soap. Use as you would normally. I also use a vinegar rinse. No funky spots from softener sheets & no static Hel : ))))     I would be happy to share my laundry soap recipe.  It really isnt mine, but I don't remember where I got it from. It is really easy.  You just take your soap and grind it up or cut it up into small chunks.  I have used just about every kind of soap,  It doasn't seem to matter at all.  Weigh the scraps I use about 16oz.  Put this into a large pot and add 48 oz water and 16 oz vinegar.  Let it melt over low heat for two or three hours. Funnel it into a jug or old laundry soap container after it has cooled a bit. I have never had it harden and I don't use anything else with it.  Just add about a cup to the water before you add the clothes. Rebecca     What I would like to know is: 1) How much soap do you make at a time for this purpose?   @@@ I generally run a 6-8# batch at a time.   2) Also, if I used 6 lbs (96 oz) of Crisco to make some soap, how much laundry soap does this actually make?   @@@ 7 - 8#s of soap, after full cure.   3) I noticed someone posted they use a KitchenAid to grate the soap and then powder after it is dry.  Does anyone else use another method to do the same thing?   @@@ That was me. :)  I love that KitchenAid!!! As an alternative you can use a box grater and just use the gratings.  The powder form I make just dissolves easier in the wash.   4) How much soap does this make powder wise?   @@@ A LOT!!!   5) How long does it last? (ie., 50 laundry loads etc)   @@@ I never counted...a good long while though. :)   6) How much of this powder do you use in the washing machine when you do a load?   @@@ I use 1/2 cup.   Camille List Moderator   Fels Naptha recipes and info: Mary go to www.google.com and type in gall soap.  You will get a very long string of references.  I won't guarantee that you'll find out what's in it.  Here's an excerpt from one of the sites.   Ox Gall Soap   This Swiss soap is produced as an ecological choice for laundry stain removal and has been the miracle compound to remove stubborn grime-like coating on paintings and murals when nothing else has worked. It is made for use on stains such as grass, blood, grease and wine. The ph is around 10, which will be slightly lowered if you use your own "mild enzymatic solution". Clearing the surface afterwards with something like Naptha is recommended (8% ox gall in Savon de Marseilles) Catalogue No. CA1303 100gm bar $3.50   Jennie  Yes, it is still around.  Before I started making soap, I used to grate the Fels Naptha and cook it down in water, add some borax, washing soda and clorox 2 and ta da....laundry soap that was absolutely wonderful!!   Hugs Angela       Additives to Laundry Soap     here's another question, when do we add vinegar, should I wait till >the final rinse or add it with the soap? *********** I always add white vinegar ( 1 cup for large load ) to the rinse cycle in a ring thingie that sets on top of the agitator  . I have a washer with 2 rinse cycles , so , have no idea when it actually dispenses . Borax is great added at the beginning with your soap for hard water . Adding extra washing soda in a white load helps also .   Hel : ) ( who swears by Biz for soaking whites )   Steph, use the downey ball thingie . & you know an advantage using the vinegar...it will clean out all of the gunky buildup in the washer . Like detergents that weren't flushed out in others rinse cycles .  Hel ; ) Dish Washer Detergent and Rinse 1 part borax 1 part baking soda (or washing soda) sweet orange or lemon eo (optional) vinegar Mix the borax and soda together while wearing a mask. add a touch of eo for grease cutting and scent if you wish. Store in a tightly sealed container and label   Add about 2 tbs per wash. I like to add this as when empty the clean dishes out and then fill the washer as I have more dirty dishes as it will absorb odor. Might add a bit more right before washing. If you have a jet dry container fill it with vinegar instead. Washing soda may be used instead, though I have not tried it. This recipe was created after reading a number of other recipes on the net, so I offer credit to anyone who might have contributed Steph H     1 bar fels naptha 1 bar Ivory or 4.5 ounce bar of homemade lard soap w/ sweet orange eo 1 cup washing soda 1 cup borax I grate up the two bars of soap, then put them in my food processor with the chopper blade with the soda and borax...blend till its all powdery...use 1/8 cup per load, 1/4 cup per load for diapers...and I put vinegar in the rinse dispenser. Cindy     I find that adding vinegar, borax and washing soda  makes a very good, stain-removing soap. My recipe is a variation on Susan Miller Cavitch's "Blowing in the Wind". Make your CP or HP soap: just make sure it's zero superfatted. I like to use a recipe which is high in coconut oil; about 75% to 25% of olive (although I understand that pure tallow makes the absolute best laundry soap). Add the borax, dissolved in a little warm water,  to the pot after adding the lye water to the oils. The washing soda gets mixed in just before trace. Once it's made, poured out, and allowed to sit for a day, shred it up (in the food processor!) and put it in your soap pot. Cover the shreds generously with a solution of 2/3 water and 1/3 vinegar. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Pour it into a heatproof bucket. When it's cooled down a little, say 15 minutes later, stir it up to release more heat and add eo of orange. That really helps to remove stains. Add any compatible-smelling eo you fancy, as well, but the orange really helps to do the trick. You can use the liquid soap right away, if you want. Otherwise, let it cool down to a gel, then remove about 1/2 cup for each load of wash. I haven't given amounts because I don't know what size batch you're making. But you don't need to use big amounts of borax and washing soda: mere teaspoonsfull. Here are my proportions, for you to scale up or down as you need: 4 kg. (8.8 lbs) oils, mostly coconut 1500 liter (6 cups) water an extra 1/2 cup water to dissolve borax 120 ml. (4 tsp.) borax 120 (4 tsp.) washing soda After shredding: add 2 liters (8 cups water) and 1 liter (4 cups) vinegar Orange eo - I just put in what seems like a lot for any one batch of soap. SMC also suggests adding a very small amount of ammonia (60 ml. - 2 tsp) at the time you add the dissolved borax to the pot: I tried it once and almost died from the smell. It did go away after a while, and the washed clothes did not smell of ammonia, but I don't think I'll do that again, unless I were going to deal with very, very dirty and greasy clothes - which may be useful to you! Wouldn't it be nice if our laundry soap removed all stains without having to hand-scrub a little? Oh well, the bright side is that clothes come out lovely, the soap is biodegradable, and everyone's skin benefits. Miriam   I will tell you how I do it:) I take a couple of cups of soap shavings (2-3) and melt them down in a big pot of water. Once they are melted, I add 1 cup of borax, and 1 cup of washing soda. You just mix it up and pour it into an old tide container. Tada!! You have liquid laundry soap. YOu also can add a little orange eo to it, that is always nice for fighting grease and the fresh smell. Just be sure when you are using your laundry soap to put some vinegar in a Downy ball so your clothes will rinse clean. I promise, you clothes won't smell like vinegar or anything:) Erika   Here are some vegetarian laundry soap recipes for you:) 16 oz Veg Shortening 8 oz Palm 2 TBSP borax (add to lye/water phase) 1/4 cup Ammonia (add at light trace) 1/4 cup sugar (add to lye) 1 1/2 oz Orange Eo 3.27 oz (92.7 grams) Sodium Hydroxide You can use as the bars like a stain stick. Just moisten the bar and apply it directly to stain. Or use as a Laundry Soap by grating up 4 cups soap, then add 8 cups baking soda, 6 cups borax, and 3 tsp. essential oil of choice. I like lemon, lavender or orange. Stir it all together and you have laundry soap!  Use ¼ cup per laundry load. Or to make a Laundry Gel: Grate 6 oz soap and add ½ cup baking soda and ½ cup borax. Add water to make ½ gallon. Let it soak for a day or two and use a stick blender to blend into a gel. Add a cup of gel per load of laundry. Colleen Trickett