If a chore or project can be done with simple directions and/or ingredients, I'm usually on the bandwagon trying new methods at home. Laundry is one of those chores that can put a big dent in the budget if you buy store bought detergent, stain remover sprays, fabric softeners, etc. Here is the recipe I use for making laundry soap at home. I have a standard washing machine (after my new high efficiency model broke down the second time .. I opted to replace it with an old fashioned one without a computerized brain) ... something similar to what my grandmother used with push pull type dials.
#4 Powder Laundry Soap
2 cups Fels Naptha Soap (or Ivory soap, Sunlight bar soap, Kirk’s Hardwater Castile,or Zote)
1 cup Washing Soda
1 cup Borax
- Grate the soap on a fine cheese grater.
- Mix well and store in an airtight plastic container.
- Use 2 tablespoons per full load.
Here is a link to the website I found this soap. There are all sorts of other recipes .. as well as directions/instructions on adjusting the amount that may be necessary for your type of water.
Tipnut/10 Laundry Soap Recipes 
Do some research on your own should you decide to try this at home. For our laundry, I found that after several months of continual use (and not using any fabric softener) .. our clothes felt clean. I had come to hate the overpowering smell of fabric softener .. let alone the expense. My washer was always grimy .. so I concluded that some of that grime was being left behind on my clothes/towels/sheets. Using the homemade product has virtually cleaned the inside of my machine, I'm happy to say. The ingredients are very inexpensive to buy and are usually readily available at the grocery store. Over the course of a year, I've spent about eight dollars on materials ... and still have enough to make a few more batches. Homemade laundry soap is extremely cheap to make. I've tried both liquid and powder recipes. Powder is easier for our family as the liquid often times needs to be stirred before use ... and you know how kids are when they do laundry ;) ... powder is easier for them.
For stain removal or pre-treating spots, I simple use the Fels-Naptha bar soap, gently rubbing the stain with the soap and some water ... at times I even use my old washboard in my laundry room sink. To give extra softness and freshness to towels, I use 1/2 cup of white vinegar in the rinse (DO NOT USE WITH BLEACH). I put it in the fabric softener dispenser (do so at your own risk;) .. or in a fabric softener dispenser ball that you can plop in at the beginning of the wash cycle. Using the cycle that includes a soak is helpful for extra soiled clothes .. as well as dark fabrics as it allows the powder to completely dissolve and work more efficiently. The savings are worth the effort. Here's a guy that makes a
liquid version ... and has done stain removal and price comparisons.
Hazards of fabric softenersTo dispense static electricity from your clothes in the dryer .. try wadding up a few balls of aluminum foil and dry clothes as normal (shut the laundry room door because it's a bit noisy;)
Next year I hope to dabble making laundry soap from the soapwart plant growing in my garden :)
Non toxic cleaners .. including a recipe for soapwart laundry soap
