Teach Soap

I plan on making some soap for laundry soap. Here are my questions:

Those of you that do your own laundry soap do you prefer making liquid or dry/powdered?

Do you use specific oils to make the soap?

Not sure of recipe. Can anyone enlighten me?

As far as liquid...I don't have a BIG container to mix a lot in(my biggest container is a 12 quart pan)I've always heard 5gal bucket. Does someone have a modified recipe for a smaller amount?

TIA

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Debbie

I have only made the powdered soap... a special request from my dtr. I used 50\50 of coconut and the GV shortening. Superfat was at 0%. No color and no fragrance. She is using this batch right now... I will e-mail her and see what her thougts on it are.

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Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!

I make the liquid laundry soap. I make my bar soap from 100% lard with 0% superfat, no color or fragrance. If you make powdered, you won't need a 5 gal bucket. I picked up a 5 gal bucket with lid from the paint section at walmart and have been using it for over 2 yrs. now. If you decide on the liquid soap, you only need about a 6qt pan to get the soap & water melted together before adding the other ingredients to the bucket. I pour my liquid soap into old detergent bottles to make it easier to use, since it needs to be shaken before using.

Here is the recipe:
Liquid Laundry Soap – 5 Gallons
6 Cups - hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar (or 5 oz. of homemade soap)
1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*
½ Cup Borax
Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted. (The more finely grated the easier to melt!) Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.
Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser with soap. Shake before each use. (will gel)
Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled.
Top Load Machine- 1/3-1/2 Cup per load
Front Load Machines- 1/4 Cup per load
*Arm & Hammer "Super Washing Soda"--Baking Soda will not work, nor will Arm & Hammer Detergent - It must be sodium carbonate!!

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

Thanks Linda!!! I just made my soap for the first step.(100% lard, 0% SF per yours discussion about laundry soap in another thread) Boy does the lard STINK!!!! SMELLS HORRIBLE!!

Couple more questions. First problem..don't have a 5 gal bucket. I do have a few 2 gal buckets, will that work ok? Second question...If I use "powdered" laundry soap what ratio of soap/borax/washing soda do I use? Third and final...how much dry/powdered soap or liquid soap do I use per load of clothes?


Thanks

Edited to add-ignore last question. You answered it already guess I just didn't see it.

Also edited to ask-how long should I let lard soap cure before I can melt it and use it? Reason I ask is I am about out of laundry soap(didn't know how close to being out I was) and I don't want to go buy any more.

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Debbie

If your laundry soap has a strong lard smell it will most likely transfer to your clothes.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

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Debbie

Lard can smell if it has gone bad or has not been properly rendered. I bought some lard in a Mexican store once and ended up throwing it away. I couldn't stand the smell.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

The lard I use hardly smells at all. I've never smelled any that stinks. hmmm...
You can make your liquid more concentrated- you would just use about half as much per load (2 gallons of soap instead of 5 gallons: use slightly less than 1/4 cup per load)
I grate my soap as soon as it's hard - I don't wait for it to cure because it's lots easier to grate when it's fresh. Then I let it cure & put 5 oz portions in bags to use as I need them. I've also made the liquid laundry soap with freshly made lard soap and it works fine.

The powdered detergent recipe is:
5 oz soap (grated & cured)
1 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
1/2 cup Borax
process the soap in a food processor until it's powdered, then mix with the other ingredients. Use 1 tablespoon for regular load and 2 tbsps for heavy load.

Susie, is this the same recipe your daughter uses?

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

Thanks Linda. Irena I don't believe it is bad lard, just has a lardy smell' which I am not used to. It doesn't smell now that it is soap. Guess I'll be grating some soap tomorrow.

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Debbie