Homemade laundry soap

I got this recipe from none other than the Duggar Family website.  Hey, they're nuts in my book for having that many kids, but they sure know how to be fantastically frugal!

Here's what you will need:

5 gallon bucket w/lid

1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda*

1/2 cup Borax

1 bar of soap (they suggest Fels-Naptha soap, I used Yardley on my first try)

Hot tap water

See my coupon inserts on the table?  OMG I love my coupons.

First you will grate the bar of soap.  I don't have a food processor so I used and old fashioned hand grater.  It didn't take that long and my hands smelled super when I was done!

Add the soap curls to a small pot of boiling water, stir until they are dissolved  and the mixture is nice and bubbly.

Fill your 5 gallon bucket halfway with hot tap water.  Then add the pot of soap mixture to the bucket.  Fill the bucket to the top with hot tap water. Stir well (or if you have a 4 year old you can make them do it).  Put the lid on it tightly and leave overnight.

**if you let your kids do this PLEASE make sure they are careful.  That's hot water right there, folks

The next day, remove the lid from the bucket and give it a good stir.

Note: The first time I did this I used Yardley soap and it turned out much different.  Not sure why it looks like this, but I'm sure it has something to do with the soap.

This is how it should look once stirred completely.

Now use an old (cleaned) laundry soap dispenser, fill it half way with the soap mixture and the rest of the way with cold tap water.  Give it a good shake each time you are doing a new load of laundry, as the mixture will naturally settle and you won't get the maximum amount of soap when you dispense.

*Arm & Hammer "Super Washing Soda" - in some stores or may be purchased online here (acehardware.com). Baking Soda will not work, nor will Arm & Hammer Detergent - It must be sodium carbonate!!