Economy Laundry Soap

Slash your laundry supply bills and extend the life of your clothes by making your own laundry soap. One starter supply includes everything you need to make several batches - enough to wash more than 800 loads at less than 6¢ per load. Soap can be used in HE washing machines, gel-like soap. Use approx. 1/2 cup per load.

2 Gallon Bucket
Cost of making the laundry soap was .71 cents and from the 2 gallon size you can do 64 laundry loads. That translates to about .01 cent per load.
1/3 bar Fels Naptha grated and put it in a sauce pan.
Add 6 c. H20 and heat it until the soap melts.
Add: ½ c. washing soda power and ½ c. borax powder stir until it dissolved.
Remove from heat.
Pour 4 cups hot H20 into a 2 gallon plastic bucket.
Now add your soap mixture and stir.
Add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of H20 and stir.
Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will liquid gel.

If it does not gel up for you, you can still use it. Next time add a little more soap (like half the bar of Fels Naptha) and see if that helps.

If you want, your soap to have some sort of scent you can add ½ to 1 oz. of essential oil or fragrance oil of your choice. My favorite scent is orange essential oil.

5 Gallon Bucket
One bar of Fels Naptha bar soap, shredded with a grater (small pieces) to melt down.
In a separate dish, 1 cup of Arms & Hammer Powder washing soda and one cup of borax, set aside.
6 qt. pan, put in 6 cups of H20 and the shredded bar soap, to melt down
Add Soda and Borax to the melted bar soap; simmer until it all dissolves.
5 gal. Plastic bucket, 4 cups hot H20.
Add the 6 qt. pan of soap mixture into the bucket and mix up good.
Add 2 gallons plus 6 cups H20 (looks like curdled milk)
Let it all sit for 24 hours, then mix up with a pant stick and pour into containers you want, leaving space at the top so you can shake it up before you use it. (It will separate)
Or you can leave it in the 5 gal. bucket, but then you stir the whole bucket before using each time.
Does not suds up much, but softens and cleans the clothes.

http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/laundrysoap2.htm