This is my favorite laundry soap recipe! This recipe makes such a large amount, you can go months without making more! It also smells great, gets out stains, and brightens your clothes using the combined powers of lavender and lemon essential oils. Mix up a big batch for yourself or share with your friends.
2 bars Fels-Naptha soap
1 (76-ounce) box borax
1 (55-ounce) box washing soda
1 (16-ounce) box baking soda
2 (3-pound) containers OxiClean
50 drops lavender essential oil
50 drops lemon essential oil
TO MAKE: Using a food processor or a hand cheese grater, grate the bars of soap. Then combine all ingredients in a large bucket. Mix well.
TO USE: Save the scoop from the jar of OxiClean and it use to add laundry soap to washing machine. Use 1 scoop for a normal load or 2 scoops for a large load. This recipe is safe for high-efficiency (HE) machines; just place the soap in the drum of the machine before adding clothes.
TO STORE: Store indefinitely in large covered container the soap was mixed in, or a smaller container, on your laundry room shelf. Refill the smaller container from the larger container as needed.
Borax is a naturally occurring mineral that shouldn’t be ingested or put in your eyes. There are some debates as to just how safe and “green” this mineral really is. That said, it is commonly used in cleaning recipes. If you’re concerned about using borax, do some research to determine if this mineral is right for you or try the borax-free recipe in this chapter.