Homemade Laundry Soap

I jumped on the bandwagon and made my own laundry soap.  It was super easy to make (though a little messy), and so far it seems to work just as well as Tide.  The first batch, which costs around $12 plus the cost of a 5-gallon bucket with lid, makes 5 gallons of concentrate... 10 gallons of laundry soap after it's all said and done.  I have enough of two out of three ingredients to make at least 4 or 5 more batches, so those will only cost around $4 (or less) each (the cost of the 3rd ingredient... a soap bar.) 

I found all the ingredients at Wal-mart, but they are also available at Ace Hardware or online. 

A 100 oz. jug of Tide costs around $12 each... the recipe I used makes 1,280 ounces. That's a huge savings!  (Plus, the homemade version has the added benefit of being mostly all-natural and easier on clothes and skin.)

I used the Duggar's Liquid Laundry Soap recipe.  You can use the Fels Naptha "laundry soap" bar like they recommend, or you can use any other type of soap bar... Ivory, Pure & Natural, etc.  Let me know if you decide to try it!