Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Homemade Laundry Soap


I got a recipe from a friend, April, for homemade liquid laundry soap a few months back. I decided to try it yesterday....it only takes about 10 minutes to make 5 gallons of the liquid concentrate!

Liquid Laundry Soap

You will need:
A clean 5 gallon bucket with a lid
4 c. hot water
1 bar of Fels Naptha, Ivory or Zote soap-grated with a cheese grater
1 c. washing soda
1/2 c. borax

Put the grated soap and hot water in saucepan. Heat on Med. heat until the soap melts.
Fill your 5 Gallon bucket 1/2 full with hot water. Add the melted soap and stir. Add the washing soda and borax. Mix until all is dissolved. Fill the bucket almost to the top with hot water and stir again. (I filled mine to about 2 inches from the top.) Cover with a lid and let cool overnight. The soap will gel when it is done.

At this point you could add some essential oils, like lavendar or Tea tree. I left mine plain. 10-15 drops per 2 gallons of soap concentrate.

To Use: Use an empty liquid laundry detergent bottle...rinse it out well. Fill the container 1/2 full of laundry gel and then top it off with water. Voila~liquid laundry soap.
Shake the container before you use it.

This soap is safe for HE washers...it is low-suds and that is what you want. Use 1/4 c. per load for HE washers.
Top-loaders use just over 1/2 c. per load.

Use white vinegar in your fabric softener dispenser for a natural softener. It works great!

Try it! You'll Love it!

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Change is difficult!


Today our Ward boundaries changed. A part of our Ward has been re-assigned to another ward. We knew last Sunday that something was on the horizon....but it just seems so final now. We have been in this ward for quite a few years. I will miss seeing those who are in First Ward....you are my friends and I love you! But we have not died and will have to make the effort to see each other.
We also gained some families from Salmon Creek Ward...and that is a good thing too! I hope their transition is easy...I will try my hardest to "make it so". (I love Jean Luc Picard)

Come What May and Love it! We will try for sure!