Our Homemade Laundry Soap

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Our Homemade Laundry Soap

We've enjoyed making our own bars of soap for years now and have shared our skill with several families and demonstrated for groups. The possibilities are endless and we've come up with some great recipes and one or two that flopped.
One of my favorite things to do with our homemade soap is to make it into powdered laundry soap. We've tried recipes for making it into liquid soap but I don't care for the slimy, egg-drop soup-like consistancy. Here's our simple recipe:

3 bars of homemade soap
1 box of Arm and Hammer Washing Soda
1 large box of Borax
essential oils of your choice - optional (We've used peppermint, lavender, eucalyptus and even an insect repellent blend for camping and outdoor clothes, but our favorite is grapefruit for it's perky, citrus scent and deodorizing qualities.)

Grate the bars of soap.
Add powdered ingredients
Add approx. 1/2 tsp essential oils
Blend well to insure that the oils don't stain your clothes.

Use about 1/8 - 1/4 cup per load. Add to water and agitate before adding clothes.

Besides the wonderful aroma that stays with your clothes, this laundry soap eliminates that smell that happens when you wash a load of clothes before bed only to find that it is already smelling musty in the morning. I love that!

Tip: Add essentail oils that are known to repel insects for built in protection.

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What The Woodwife's Journal is all about.

This is a journal about my quest for herbal healing, herbal & wild crafting, soapmaking, whole foods, repurposing and living a self sustaining life. Meant only to share information and personal experience but never as medical advice.

My mission is to encourage you to live closer to nature, share herbal ideas and information.

In His wisdom, God has blessed us with plants that provide a synergy of therapeutic benefits which work together to provide healing and protection to our bodies.

Disclaimer ~

We strive to do all we can to formulate safe recipes for you, but we assume no responsibility for any harm that may result from the use of our products. All of our recipes have been tried and tested by family and friends to produce positive results that I feel comfortable sharing with you and customers request over and over again.

However, it is YOUR responsibility to use them wisely and at your own discretion, discontinuing use AT ONCE should any negative reactions develop and seeking medical help if needed.

While we value your safety, you should know that allergic reaction, skin irritation or other negative responses are always a possibility, both with natural and commercial products. *

These recipes, while safe for use with children in most cases, should be kept out of reach of children and/or pets and always used with adult supervision.

Any medicinal references mentioned here are strictly for educational purposes based on my research through study, empirical evidence, personal use and herbal lore but not considered to be comprehensive or exhaustive. Any statements made here concerning various properties of herbs in relation to your health and well being, have not been evaluated by the FDA or any other governing body. And is NOT intended as medical advice of ANY kind.

Hopefully anything you read here will encourage you to do your own research and speak with your health care professional to determine the situation before attempting to treat yourself or anyone else by alternative health practices and remedies.

Herbs (including the concentrated essential oils created from them) can be helpful allies in creating and maintaining good health but they can also be powerful medications that should be treated with respect. Used improperly, they can cause adverse reactions or interfere with pharmaceuticals.

Herbally yours,

The Woodwife

Gen. 1:29 And God said,”Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth...”

*As a side note: sometimes water and/or soap applied to an area of irritation can increase discomfort. Often, a carrier oil or milk will ease the problem.

~ The Woodwife's Journal ~

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Wednesday, July 14, 2010