Liquid Laundry Detergent Recipe

I've had a few people ask about how I make our laundry detergent, so I wanted to document it here. I made our first batch in April 2011 and it has lasted us a year and a half. That's 2 adults and 1 toddler. I just ran out and made a new batch today. I was really happy with it. I felt like our clothes came out of the washer smelling more fresh and not so much like a wet dog. I used to use All Free and Clear or Tide. My clothes smelled the same with each. I also felt the clothes came out softer. When I go to the store next time I'll price the supplies and try to figure up how much it costs per batch. I know it's a heck of a lot cheaper than buying in the store.

You'll Need
A 5 gallon bucket
4 cups hot water
1 Fels Naptha or Ivory Bar Soap
1 cup Super Washing Soda
1/2 cup Borax

1. Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan of hot water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until completely dissolved.
2. Fill your 5 gallon bucket half way with scolding HOT water. Add your melted soap, washing soda, and borax. Stir until it's completely dissolved.
3. Fill bucket the rest of the way with scolding HOT water and stir. Put the lid on and store overnight to thicken.
4. Use an already empty laundry detergent container to fill halfway with your mixture. Top it off with HOT water. Shake before each use.

Notes:
1. You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add after soap has cooled.
2. Since you dilute 50/50 with each fill up, your recipe yields 10 gallons.
3. Top loaders - Use 5/8 cup per load
4. Front loaders - Use 1/4 cup per load
5. This will gel after it sits overnight. It may even come out super lumpy. Mine did. Just stir bucket prior to each fill up. Always use HOT water when topping off your container. And shake before each use.
6.  If you use Fels Naptha (the more expensive soap) then your batch will cost about $1.62 total. Buying your entire supply list is less than $10. This gives you over a year's worth of detergent depending on your family size.