Back to basics. Laundry soap.

This week we have a guest post by Jane.   She has been making her laundry soap for many years.    I wrote a post which you can find here back when I was writing the "How to beat rising prices"  posts.  Little did I know that we would look back on 2019 fondly and only dream about it!   It is now possible to pay $20 to $60 for laundry liquid or capsules.   A big family is going to go through a lot of laundry in a year!   This is an area you can save an absolute fortune. 

If you have been wanting to learn to make soap, laundry soap is a good place to start.  It is like putting one toe into the water!   If you would like to make a washing powder rather than a liquid this one at The Cheapskates Club is wonderful.   Cath began making this when her baby has eczema.     Now over to Jane...

How to Make Laundry Liquid

Step One

Gather your supplies. 

1. You will need containers to store the laundry liquid in. I use old plastic vinegar bottles. Your containers need to have the capacity to have a good shake before each wash. This liquid will separate. A good shake and it is good to go.
2. Measuring cup
3. Kettle of boiling water
4. 10L bucket and access to a tap for cold water
5. Stick blender
6. Small jug to decant liquid into containers

Ingredients

• 1 cup Pure soap flakes. I used softly soap flakes. You can use your own grated pure soap flakes.
• ½ cup ,Borax
• ½ Washing Soda

Step 1. Place the ingredients in a 10L bucket where there is direct access to a cold water tap.

Step 2. Pour a kettle full of boiling water over the soap, borax and washing soda. Use a stick blender to make sure all the ingredients are melted together and well mixed.

Step 3. Turn the cold water tap on to low flow and let it fill the bucket. While the water is flowing, use the stick blender and continuously blend the liquid. 

Step 4. When the bucket is full turn off the tap. At this point I add water soluble lavender oil. You can add what you like in essential oils here. Some people, (think Annabel), like to add some drops of colouring here.

Step 5. Use your jug to pour the water into your chosen containers. Make sure that you leave good headspace. The mix will separate and needs a good shake before each wash. The headspace allows the mix to incorporate well. 

Step 5. Allow your liquid to cool. It will become more gel like as it cools. My children used to call it washing snot when they were little. Put the lids on and store the liquid till needed. I store mine under the washing tub. 

Other uses for your Laundry Liquid (aka washing snot)

Cleaning paste. In the photo you will see I have some of the liquid in a jar. I will spoon some of this into a bowl and add bicarb soda until I get a paste. This paste is a brilliant cleaner. I use it in the shower when greasy grotty husbands and extra greasy grotty sons have used the shower. It is a wonderful and powerful cleaning paste, something similar to Gumption Paste.

Stainless steel cleaner.  Just place a small amount on a cleaning cloth and use on stainless steel items.  It cleans them simply and easily.

Thank you so much Jane!   

For those in the US Ivory flakes are a very similar product to softly.  Or you can grate a bar of Zote...  better still pink Zote and get pink liquid!  😊

I cannot tell you how much fun it is to have a soap making session and see a year (or more) worth of bottles lined up!   It smells so good! 

I hope this will lead into other soap making.   Knowing how to make simple cleaning products is an important skill.   Keeping the basic ingredients on hand means whatever comes you can whip up a batch of laundry soap to keep you going.     I keep softly,  bars of soap,  electric soda,  borax,  eucalyptus oil,  vinegar, bi carb soda... well stocked.  With these you can make anything from dish washer cleaner to laundry to kitchen cleaners.   I basically cannot run out as these will always make me a couple of years supply.  

Soap sounds so basic... but during the war years and the depression... soaps were so valued,  so sought after.   One or two days without soap and we remember why!   Always keep ahead on soaps! xxx