DIY Laundry Soap

OK so I have been posting on Facebook about my Laundry soap that I made.  I love it so far.  It takes some getting use to that the perfume smell is not there but I guess that would be the chemical stuff they put in the commercial stuff.

So here is the recipe I got from the Duggars witha  couple adjustments.  I could not find the Fels Naptha but a friend told me to use Sunlight laundry soap bar (it smells better too i guess).  There are varying recipes online so you may need to figure out what works best for you.  When I bottle i only fill 1/3 water and 2/3 soap as it seemed really watery with the 1/2 and 1/2 (Step 3)…on some recipes they just scoop out from the 5 Gallon bucket.  I found all my ingredients at Sobeys…if you want to try some in a load or two let me know and I’ll get you some…I have over 5 gallons worth 😀  I think in the end I will have made 31 litres of Laundry soap…should last a bit!

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine

4  Cups – hot tap water
1  Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup – Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*
1 Cup Borax
Step 1. Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.
Step 2. Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.
Step 3. Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)
-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.
-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.
-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)  Note what is 5/8 so I would do 3/4 of a cup.
-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

So some tips that I have figured out.

  1. Make sure you have lots of empty bottles…I am still begging for more.
  2. the time to make is minimal but it does take some time to bottle.
  3. When Bottling I used a wisk to mix up the gel so that it would go through the funnel
  4. Get a funnel with a larger hole..I used a small kitchen one and it would have been nice to have had a bigger one.

    If you do try and it works or doesn’t, let me know…I would love to hear your experience.

Crystal

40 Goals before I reach 40

OK so I turn 39 this year and have set some goals to accomplish by the time I hit 40.  They are in no particular order and most focus on my health but I have added some other ones I would really like to do as well.

  1. Be healthy
  2. Walk into any store and buy clothes off the rack
  3. Stop making excuses
  4. Be admired for my strength and persistence
  5. Wrap my towel around all the way with no gap
  6. Be in pictures with family and friends rather than taking them
  7. Buy a little black dress
  8. Consistently exercise
  9. Be able to lay on the couch with Mark or the kids
  10. Reach my goal weight
  11. Have clothes that reflect my personality not where I have to shop
  12. Be a better role model for my kids and future grand kids
  13. Be all God wants me to be
  14. LIVE life to the fullest
  15. Feel like the person that the people who love me think I am
  16. Do one crazy thing that I would have never done…and let Mark pick what it is
  17. Spend more time with God
  18. Scrap more
  19. Be financially free ( Here I come Dave Ramsey)
  20. Buy most of what we need for clothes at Frenchy’s or other second hand
  21. Lose 20 lbs by Sept 27th, 2012, our 15 year anniversary
  22. Learn to run
  23. Mountain bike again
  24. Get organized and keep a cleaner house
  25. Have a movie marathon
  26. Take dance lessons
  27. Learn some Spanish
  28. Have a spa treatment with my Best Friend
  29. Get a pedicure ( there Sheri I put it down)
  30. Go south again (maybe Dominican this time)
  31. Go Geo-caching
  32. Read at least 40 books
  33. Be able to do 50 push ups
  34. Go to a balloon festival
  35. Go on a hike
  36. Give blood
  37. Read the whole Bible
  38. Do a girlfriends shopping trip to the states
  39. Take more pictures
  40. Go to a Carnival/Fair
  41. Get a Tattoo …this is extra because I am not sure that I could do this and as Emmy would say ” Gammy will kill you”…so we will see.So that’s it…now lets see if I can do them all.