Laundry detergent

Thursday, yesterday and today's adventure has been laundry detergent.  Now, I can't take all the credit for this one since it was my mom who found the "recipe" and made the start of it.  She went with the basic "ingredients" of:
1 bar of Fels-Naptha soap, grated
1 cup Borax
1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (NOT baking soda!)

I stood by on Thursday, eagerly, with my half gallon milk jugs while I watched my mom grate the soap, melt/mix the soap in about 2 qts of water over medium heat, then add in the Borax and Washing Soda...I'm such a team player!  Hahaha!  Then she divided up the concoction between the empty milk jugs we had and some empty Purex bottles, added hot water until the containers were half full and then sent me on my way home.  Not much was left to do after that but wait for them to cool overnight, so I set the jugs on the counter to chill out...and laughed when my husband kept thinking they were orange juice (seriously...this happened about 3 times.  I promise you, no husbands were harmed in the making of this soap!).

It was yesterday morning when I could add more hot water and complete the process of making it into liquid laundry detergent!  I felt like a kid on Christmas...I was so excited!  My excitement quickly turned to frustration when I got my water as hot as I could get it from the tap, added it to my goop in my milk jugs, and it didn't break up and mix with the water.  I tried it all.  I poked it...I shook it with everything I had...I stirred it.  I...well...I tried everything!  Nothing was working!  So, when in doubt, text mom!  I asked if she had mixed hers with water yet...and discovered her secret.  She added the hot water in little bits.  DOH!  Well, crap.  Now what?!  I added the water all at once.  I didn't want to dump any of what had mixed with the water and waste it, but now what do I do?  Stick it in a sauce pan of hot water on the stove, mom suggested.  Bingo!

I found a sauce pan that went about half way up the side of the jugs, heated was water to boiling in my tea kettle, then poured it into the pan and set the burner on low (I have an electric stove) to keep it hot.  Guess what?   IT WORKED!  Yay!  Mom for the win!  By about 10am yesterday morning, I had a gallon (2 half gallons) of homemade laundry detergent! 

As I type right now, Friday, June 1st 2012, I have my first load of laundry in the washer with the homemade detergent :) 

So what have I learned from this experience?  Well, first off, I went and bought the stuff to make my own so I don't have to mooch off my mom!  Second, patience is a virtue, I guess.  If you are going to make your own (and the next time I make it), add the hot water little by little and shake to mix it well.  I will probably add boiling water first to help melt/break up the gelled goop and then add regular hot tap water.  And lastly, I will take pictures!