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Homemade laundry soap is so incredibly easy, you'll wonder why you didn't learn how to make it sooner. Even though you should have a fairly good understanding of the soap making process, this recipe is still quite easy to do.
One can render their own fats or use lard, but rendered beef fat works the best for making laundry soap. You will need 5 pounds of melted fat in a large stainless or enameled pot, an old canning kettle works best because you will need lots of extra stirring space.
Next you will need to mix 7 cups of water with 1-13 oz. can of lye. When both the fat and the lye water's temperatures get to between 95 and 100 degrees you can then pour the lye water slowly into the fat. Stir until well mixed, then add 1 cup each of household bleach and borax, and stir this well, too.
If you enjoy hanging your clothes outside, but don't like the bugs that move into your clothes, try adding 2 tablespoons of citronella oil when you add the borax and bleach. Citronella oil makes your clothes smell light and lemony. You can add any essential oil you like. Lavender oil leaves a pleasent spring like scent. Cinnamon oil makes a warm wintery addition.
When the mixture starts to crumble, continue to stir occasionally for several hours, then leave over night. Over the next several days, mash and stir to break up chunks. An old potato masher with the wavy type wire works the best. When it all looks like a small curd cottage cheese you are ready to dry it. Spread the laundry soap in a thin layer, on waxed paper lined cooky sheets to dry. Depending on the humidity in your area, this can take 4 or 5 days, or sometimes 2 weeks.
After your laundry soap is completely dry, it will need to be made into flakes for automatic washers. To do this, you can run it through a food processor, a blender or a hand cranked meat grinder. Usuing a hand cranked meat grinder is really the best tool to use for it won't wear out your kitchen tools. Then take this ground up laundry soap and rub it through an old screen and regrind anything that doesn't go through, or you can save the larger chunks for hot water washing. If you like to wash in cold water you really should rub your laundry soap through a screen, it really helps it to dissolve much faster.
This is a pure soap and not a detergent, so you won't see a lot of bubbles unless you have soft water. Use about 1/3 to 1/2 cup to a wash load, depending on how dirty the laundry is and how much water your washer holds.
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