Oops. Not a tasty recipe- it's soap.

I know I just said tasty Tuesday, but I lied. I am too excited about this great money saving "recipe" I made. I am making my own laundry soap. It's super cheap and super easy! You only need three ingredients!

The Soap: The most typical type of soap to use is Fels Naptha. It is an old-fashioned type of soap usually found in the laundry aisle. The another option is a brand called, Zote. Either of these will work. If you use Ivory or your own homemade soap you will need to use the whole bar.

Washing Soda: This is not the same thing as baking soda. Washing soda is sodium carbonate or soda ash, baking soda is sodium bicarbonate. Its purpose is to help remove dirt and orders. The brand to look for is Arm & Hammer Washing Soda. I find it in the laundry section of my grocery store. It's in a white box, next to a giant box of baking soda which says it's good for laundry. (At least in my store.) If you can't find it; they have it on Amazon, but ask your store manager they may be able to order it for you.

Borax: Borax is a naturally occurring mineral: Sodium Borate. It is a white powder. It’s purpose is as a laundry whitener and deodorizer. You should be able to locate this in the laundry detergent aisle. Again as with the washing soda, if you cannot find it ask you store manager or look online.

Laundry Soap

1/3 bar Fels Naptha

1 Cup Washing Soda

1 Cup Borax

Grate the Fels Naptha into a bowl, add the washing soda and borax, stir until you have a nice powder. Store in an air tight container.

You use 1-2 Tablespoons of this per load of laundry. It can even be used in HE machines.

Here's the breakdown for cost (I rounded up to make my math easy):

Arm and Hammer Washing Soda (55oz): $4.00

20 Mule Team Borax (76oz): $5.00

1 bar Fels Naptha (5.5oz) $1.00

Total cost $10.00

Makes 3 batches of laundry soap (based on the size of the Fells Naptha bar you will have leftovers of the other 2 ingredients) Each batch yields approximately 32 ounces (between 32-64 loads based on how many Tbsp used per load). So you get a total of 96-192 loads of laundry for $10.00 That's .05-.10 per load

Here's a bonus! It makes dishwasher soap too! You just leave out the fels naptha. *does a happy dance* I can't wait to see how much money I will be saving this year!

Dishwasher Soap

1 cup borax

1 cup baking soda or washing soda

Mix ingredients in a container with a removable, snap-top lid. Add 2 tablespoons per load along with a splash of white vinegar in the rinse chamber of your dishwasher to prevent spots and/or residue. Add several drops of your favorite essential oil (naturally antiseptic tea tree oil is an excellent choice) as an optional finishing touch.

You can also make a liquid version of this, but since I had the leftovers from the fabric stuff I didn't if you do let me know how it goes!

Liquid Dishwasher Detergent

2 cups vegetable-based castile soap (such as Vermont Soap Organics or Dr. Bronner’s)

½ cup water

½ cup white vinegar

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

3 drops essential oil of your choice

Pour ingredients into a recycled plastic bottle with a squirt-top and shake until thoroughly incorporated. Before using, shake liquid well and measure out 2 tablespoons per load.