How to Make Soap Fels

Fresh laundry smells like home.

Laundry detergent can cost a lot of money and it is literally washed down the drain. Making your own laundry detergent at home is an alternative that can save you money, and keep your clothes looking and smelling fresh. Fels Naptha is a bar laundry soap that has been around for more than 100 years. Fels Naptha is one of the few detergents recommended to remove poison ivy residue from clothing. Today the soap is often rubbed directly on clothing to pretreat stains.

Things You'll Need

• Fels Naptha soap
• Grater
• Washing soda
• Borax
• Air-tight container
• 2-qt. pan
• 5-gallon bucket with a lid
• Long spoon, spatula or paint stirrer

Instructions

Laundry Powder

1. Grate a bar of Fels Naptha. Make sure the pieces are very fine. Measure out 1 cup of grated soap.

2. Measure out 1/2 cup of washing soda and 1/2 cup of borax.

3. Mix the three ingredients together well. Store in an airtight container. Use 1/4 cup of powder for each load of laundry.

Liquid Laundry Detergent

1. Grate a bar of Fels Naptha soap into small pieces. This doesn't have to be as small as the powder recipe. The soap can be in chunks, curls, or powder. The finer the soap, the easier it will be to melt.

2. Boil 1 qt. of water. While boiling, carefully add the soap just a little bit at a time. Be careful as the first addition will cause some foaming. Sprinkle a little in at a time until the soap is completely incorporated in the water.

3. Pour 3 gallons of hot water into the 5-gallon bucket.

4. Carefully add the boiling Fels Naptha mixture. Stir any lumps that may rise to the top.

5. Add 1 cup of washing soda. Stir until the powder is completely dissolved. Be sure to incorporate any powder that might be stuck to the bottom.

6. Add 1 cup of borax. Stir the mixture until all ingredients are fully dissolved.

7. Cover and allow the mixture to cure for 24 hours. The detergent will have a gel-like consistency. Store sealed. Use 1/2 cup of detergent per load of laundry.

References

• WTHR Eyewitness News: Soap Lady Saves Money with Detergent Recipe
• University of Minnesota Parent Help Center: Jan. 27, 2009, Newsletter
• The Simple Dollar: How to Make Your Own Laundry Detergent
• Dial: Fels Naptha
• Mother Nature Network: Back to Basics Fels Naptha