This is just too cool for words!

Seriously, it is! Doesn't this just look good enough to just sit down and eat the entire bowl?!?  

  Well, don't.....cause it's not cake icing...it's laundry detergent! Okay, here's the deal "I do not make soap or do any really great "savings" kind of tricks...but, this weekend I found a great website. It is chocked full of wonderful tips and cost busting ideas. The site is Budget101 and I joined just to read about there Super Laundry Sauce which was supposed to be enough to wash 128 loads of laundry...and cost less than $2.00 Seriously, have you seen the cost of laundry detergent!! Outragious! So, I wanted to give this a try...but, also had to make a few changes.  I encourage you to go to the site and check out the original recipe and read all of the comments and chat about the "sauce". It is free to join the site. International folks might not find the exact ingredients that we use in the states...but surely you can find some alternatives. Anyway...here is my recipe and how I put it together to create 2 quarts of creamy laundry detergent...and you only use 1 tablespoon per medium/large load of clothes (or 2 tablespoons for oversize loads or extra oil/grease based laundry). This is a non-suds recipe...so you won't see loads of bubbles...but the soap is doing the job! Don't increase your amount or you might have issues in rinsing all the soap out of your clothes! Hugs!  

  RECIPE 1/2 bar of Fels Napha Soap 1 1/2 cups of boiling hot water 1/2 cup of hot water 1 cup of Twenty MuleTeam Borax 1 cup of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda   You will need two quart size jars with tight fitting lids. It is okay to recycle old spagetti sauce or mayonnaise jars...or use canning jars with lids/rings.   STEP ONE: Grait or finely chop up the Soap. (I just cut mine into about 1/4 inch chunks...but think that grading would be even better.) Put soap into one of the jars and cover with the boiling water. Let this set for at least ten hours...longer is fine. Here's how it looks after ten hours.  

  STEP TWO: Loosen the soap mixture from the bottom of the jar by breaking it up with a spoon/fork/etc and pour the mixture into your stand mixing bowl. Using the wire wisk attachment (or beaters for a standard mixer) and low speed...begin to cream the soap/water solution. Once it starts to combine well (looks like cream cheese) then increas the mixer speed to medium.   STEP THREE: Add the cup of Borax and continue to mix. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix on medium high for about 3 minutes or until creamy without any noticable lumps.   STEP FOUR: Add the cup of Washing Soda and continue to mix.    STEP FIVE: Slowly add the 1/2 cup of hot water (just let the tap run for a few minutes) and whip until fluffy like whipped cream....about 3 minutes.   STEP SIX: Spoon the finished "Laundry Cream" into two quart jars. If you have extra and I had about a cup too much for the jars...just put that into a bowl for the next few loads of wash this week (cover the bowl with plastic wrap). Keep the jars sealed tight and the laundry cream will last for months!

  STEP SEVEN: Use an old Tablespoon measuring spoon and place a level scoop of the Laundry Cream into your load of wash. Do not put into the dispenser...put directly on the clothes. (I just load my washer (top load) and start the water...then the spoon of laundry cream goes under the water and it washes out my spoon. Dry off the spoon on some dry laundry and put it away)) Think I'll tie a ribbon around my spoon and jar to keep them together. :)   You will have enough ingredients to make two batches with the purchase of one bar of soap. I decided to purchase 3 bars of soap because I didn't want a lot of extra Washing Soda and Borax on hand. So, with 3 bars...I didn't want to make an extra trip just for soap for a long time! These will be enough for me to create soap for my family as well. I have enough supplies to make the recipe six times (Thats 12 quarts of laundry cream)!! Here is my cost yesterday at Walmart for enough laundry soda for about 350 loads of laundry...   3 bars of Fels Naptha - $2.91 (.97 each) Washing Soda - $3.24 Borax - 3.38 TOTAL: $9.53   OR about 3-Cents per load of laundry!   Woot! Woot!    Edited to Add: Well, I've done laundry all day...and everything looks and smells wonderful! I even threw in the dog's bedding and blankets...and they are clean and fresh! So, I can earnestly say that this mixture works at cleaning laundry really well and does not leave any kind of "yucky" smell behind. Just fresh and clean smelling! And, my laundry is caught up for the week!