Homemade Laundry Soap

This past weekend on the farm was pretty uneventful. The weather has been stuck in “winter mode” for the most part, with the exception of a couple days of nice weather two weeks ago. One of my items on the farm “to do” list was to go and pick up some bedding for the stalls on Saturday, but by the time I hitched up the trailer around 10:00 a.m. that morning, two inches of snow had already fallen. I made the attempt to head out anyway, only to have to turn back because the roads were too slick. I did manage make it out later that day, once the roads were cleared. I figured February on being the worst weather month, but so far March has proven to be just as nasty.

I’d been saving a ton of used coffee grounds for a few months, and I spread those onto the garden Sunday. Shortly after, I noticed all the chickens turning things up and doing their job at keeping the garden soil nicely worked. I wonder if they got a caffeine buzz from all the coffee grounds?

Another to-do list item was to make a batch of homemade laundry soap. Super easy to do and it makes the house smell like I actually cleaned it, though I didn’t.

I’m not sure if this recipe is the best. I’m certain there are many out there, but it’s easy and it works. The ingredients are all easy to find at your local grocery store or any place that sells cleaning supplies. 

Add one gallon of water to a large pot, and bring it to a boil. Turn the heat off once the water reaches boiling. Add one bar of grated Fells Naptha to the hot water and stir until dissolved. Add two cups of 20 Mule team Borax and stir that in too.

This part is optional, but I also like to add one ounce of Fabuloso (any scent) to the mix for the lovely smell it adds. Pour this into a large bucket and add two gallons of warm water. Mix it all together and it’s ready to go. Now you have three gallons of cheap laundry soap, which you can either store in one gallon jugs or the bucket. This stuff gels up a bit, but don’t let that concern you. Either shake or stir it up before use if that makes you feel better, but it isn’t necessary. I find about one half, to three quarters of a cup per load does the job.


Ready to use!