What should you get that ‘special’ (super-picky and has everything) foodie on your holiday list? Now you know. By the way, if you’re a fan of candied citrus, you’ll want to make extra, since Buddha’s hand is a unique and special treat.

Ingredients

• 3 cups diced Buddha’s hand (fingered citron)
• 3 cups white sugar, divided
• 2 cups water

Directions

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Before You Get Started: What You’ll Need

Ingredients

This recipe, made with simple ingredients, makes 1 gallon of homemade soap.

• 1 cup borax – freshens, deodorizes, and lifts dirt and stains
• 1 cup washing soda – freshens and deodorizes
• 1 cup liquid castile soap or Sal Suds – the main cleaning agent, lifts dirt and cleans
• 50 drops essential oil – optional for a scent
• 15 cups water – distilled water, found in any grocery store, is best as it doesn’t contain containments found in tap or filtered water

Equipment

• Large saucepan or Dutch oven – enough to hold 1 gallon of liquid, 15 cups
• Storage Jars – such as 2 half gallon-size glass mason jars, 1 gallon-size jar, or reuse an old detergent bottle

Thicker Detergent Tip: This recipe calls for 15 cups of water. If you’d like a thicker, more concentrated soap, use 10-12 cups of water.

How to Make Homemade Laundry Detergent: Recipe Steps

• Step 1 Boil 6 Cups of Water: In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, bring 6 cups of water to a slight boil. Once the water begins to boil, turn off the burner.
• Step 2 Add Borax, Washing Soda, More Water, and Castile Soap: Add the Borax and washing soda. Stir to dissolve. Then add 9 cups of room-temperature water and 1 cup of liquid castile soap. Give the ingredients a stir to combine.
• Step 3 Cool for 5-10 Minutes: Allow the soap to cool for a few minutes before pouring into one large gallon-size jar or smaller containers, like quart-size jars. Make sure your jar(s) are heat-safe. If not, wait until the soap is cool, then spoon the soap into the jar(s).
• Step 4 Add Essential Oil For Scent: Add an essential oil of choice (if using) to the soap (now in the jar) and stir to combine with the detergent.

What to Avoid Doing

• Baking Soda – Don’t use baking soda in place of washing soda. Washing soda has a different chemical composition and will not work in this recipe. It is NOT a substitute.
• Dish Soap – Don’t use other dish soaps in place of the castile soap. Dish soap will cause the soap to have too many bubbles in the wash.
• Lack of Suds – Don’t assume that a lack of suds and bubbles means the soap isn’t effective. Suds and bubbles don’t equal clean.
• Plastic Containers – If you’re reusing an old detergent bottle for storage, make sure the laundry detergent is fully cool before adding to a plastic container.
• Heat-Safe Glass – Use a heat-resistant glass jar (if using glass for storage), and also allow the detergent to cool a bit (about 10 minutes) before adding it.
• Essential Oils – The essential oil will add a subtle fragrance, but shouldn’t be added until the soap cools as heat will cause the essential oil to evaporate.

How to Prevent Chunky or Gelled Detergent

After a few days the liquid laundry detergent may clump or gel. This is a completely normal chemical reaction that is usually caused when the outside temperature is cooler. There’s no way to completely prevent this from happening; however, one option is to use more water (2-3 cups more) to make a less concentrated soap.

The laundry soap is 100% usable if it gels up (l actually love this form). Simply scoop the detergent from the container and add to the washer.

Key Takeaway: Whether the laundry detergent gels up or remains liquid, it’s 100% effective and usable in both forms.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6VeZiPtX4o

Homemade Laundry Soap (Recipe #3) Powder

It started as an experiment in saving some money, but then something happened – we never stopped. It’s cost effective and we like that this mixture leaves our clothes clean without the heavy scent of ‘mountains’ or ‘fields of flowers,’ but most importantly, it works! The lack of perfumes and dyes is friendly for the allergy prone (aka, us and every single animal that lives in this house!), and we’ve used it in both a standard washer and, most recently, our H/E machine, too.

I always make a double batch at once, but whether you’re making two batches or five, the math is simple: 1 bar of Fels Naptha + 1 cup borax + 1 cup washing soda = DIY laundry detergent. In the past, I used a cheese grater to whittle down my soap, but the microwave method nixes that step altogether!

Here’s How:

Cut up the bars into thirds or fourths, and put them on a microwave safe plate. Microwave for 2-3 minutes, and allow them to cool for up to one hour in the microwave. It’s so important to leave them be, because not only will the soap be extremely hot, but the strong smell of Fels Naptha will dissipate the longer it’s left untouched.

In the meantime, mix equal parts borax and washing soda in a large bowl. If you used a single bar of soap, you’ll use 1 cup of each. If you used two bars of soap, you’ll use 2 cups of each – and so on.

Once the soap has cooled, take it out of the microwave. Each chunk should have ballooned into twice its original size. (It’s weirdly magical. Science!) Toss them into a quart bag, and pound with a fist. The soap will easily crumble into a fine powder, and it can then be whisked together with the borax and washing soda mix:

That’s it!

Our double batch fits perfectly in one of these glass jars (we use these jars for everything from stashing coffee to cat food!), and we keep this 2 tablespoon scoop inside.

Only 1 tablespoon is needed for a regular load, but toss in a small amount more for larger loads. We currently have a H/E washing machine, and we’ve had great success putting the soap mix right into the detergent tray, although others swear by adding the detergent right into the drum along with the clothes. Tip: Resist the urge to use more than you need, as too much can dull your clothes! 

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