Homemade Laundry Soap

I never thought I would be the type to make my own laundry soap. First, I thought it would be way to hard and second, I thought the only people that did that kind of thing were a bit eccentric and maybe a bit hippy. But then slowly I started hearing of people who were doing it, one being my cousins wife, who is far from hippy. So I started to do some research and found that all reports were that it saved a ton of money, it was easy to make and that it really did get the clothes clean. Yes, the last was my main concern. I wanted to make sure the smells and dirt came off of the clothes. So I decided to make some and was very impressed. I just finished making my second batch and took pictures this time to post on here. To find the step by step instructions that I used, go to http://thefamilyhomestead.com/laundrysoap/. The three ingredients are: Arm & Hammer Washing Soap, Borax and Fels-Naptha Soap.

Here it is right after I mixed everything together and poured it into my bucket. It is very watery with bits of the soap that didn't quite melt. You can just strain them out.

After it sits for 24 hours it turn into a large block of gel, but breaks up as soon as you put your hand or spoon into it. The end result is this slimy looking stuff.

I store my laundry detergent in this old 5 gallon bucket that previously held Kirkland brand powder detergent. Because my kids and husband tend to get their clothes extra dirty, I add one scoop of Oxy Clean to 1/2 cup of my homemade detergent and then wash as normal. I hope you all find that making your own soap is super easy and will share your stories with me here in the comment section.

FYI: I have found all 3 ingredients at Winco. My Stator Bros did not have the Arm & Hammer Washing Soap, but did have the Fels-Naptha and Borax. I found the Washing Soap at Albertson.

A couple cards for boys/men

Cute, homemade greeting cards are not just for women, but also can be for men/boys. Here are two examples that I have made. I have a few more to share with you, but I still need to download those pictures.

This truck card is one I gave to my husband for valentines day. I cut out several hearts and layered them in the back of the truck. To give distinction between the hearts, I put a stitching around the edges and then stamped a few with affectionate words.

This sports car card I gave to a sweet little 3 year old for his Car's birthday, but it can obviously be given to a man as well. I used black ribbon to make it look like it is driving down the street.