#Preppers, Listen Up! The World is Ending! How to Make Laundry Soap! #TSHTF

So, the end of the world is near..we think..or some sort of chaos or war or something, right? What if all the stores are shut down? So you've read the blog posts on how to prepare for food. What about cleaning your clothes? I make my own laundry detergent with fabric softener. (Read on and comment for a chance to win an autographed copy of my book, Nocturnally Vexed!)

Listen up, Preppers..for those that don't know..that's the peeps preparing for the end of the world. And for the rest of you who laugh at the Mayans, you listen up too, this will save you some money and give you amazingly clean clothes!

I make liquid laundry detergent. You can make powder but I prefer liquid. I can tell you how to make both.

Before the freaking stores close down, go to Wal-Mart..yeah, even if you don't like it cause all the crap is sold together and super easy to find there. Just do it and don't whine about it. So, go to the laundry aisle and look for the bar soaps. There a couple of different kinds. I get the big pink bar soap called ZOTE. Throw that in your basket. Right there by the Zote soap is a box of Arm and Hammer Washing Soda. Grab that and toss it in your basket. Right next to that is a white box of 20 Mule Team Borax. Grab that and toss it in your basket. That's all you'll need for the liquid detergent. If you want to make the powder detergent, grab a bottle of Purex Crystals. You'll also need a 10 gallon bucket.

So, your supplies are:
1 bar of Pink ZOTE
1 box of Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda
1 box of 20 Mule Team Borax
1 bottle of Purex Crystals (Get the largest bottle if you want your clothes to smell extra nice)
1 10 gallon bucket (you can get that at Wal-Mart in the paint section for like 3 bucks or at Home Depot or Lowes or ask your husband to check the garage like I did..lol)

Recipe for Liquid Detergent:
First off, unwrap your Zote soap and get an old fashioned grater out. Grate the soap into a pan and then cover with water. Set on low until the soap is totally melted. I find melting at low gets better results and you have totally melted soap, not globs floating at the top.

Once your soap is melted, pour it into the 10 gallon bucket. Then measure 2 cups of Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda. Pour it on top of the melted soap. Next you measure 2 cups of 20 Mule Team Borax and pour it on top of the soap and washing soda. Fill your bucket to the top with water and stir with a giant ladle. Or a stick will work. Whatever you have long enough to reach the bottom and mix everything really well. Cover your bucket and let it sit overnight. The next day you're ready to wash clothes!!! You'll have a beautiful pink gel! Just measure one cup into your washing machine as the water is pouring in. Don't expect suds. This kind of detergent doesn't make bubbles but it smells wonderful and gets your clothes amazingly clean! If you want to add a capful of Purex Crystals to soften your clothes, do it now. Otherwise, wait for the homemade fabric softener recipe below. This makes tons of loads of detergent and will last several months. Some people like to dilute the batch even further, filling an old laundry jug up halfway with the detergent, then adding water to the top and shaking. I really like my detergent super powerful and I still wash many, many loads and save hundreds, yes hundreds of dollars without diluting so it is up to you how you want to make your own personal batch. Play around with it until you get it just right for your family.

Recipe for Homemade Powder Detergent:
Grate your Zote soap but don't melt it. Pour it dry into the bucket and you might want to grate it extra fine, however that is up to you. Extra fine gives you smaller granules but the larger grate will work too and melts fine in your washing machine. Pour the entire box of super washing soda on top and then the entire box of the 20 Mule Team Borax on top. Add the entire bottle of Purex. Mix everything with a giant spoon or ladle. Use only one capful (from the top of your Purex bottle) per load. Makes hundreds of loads and smells wonderful!!!

Recipe for Homemade Fabric Softner:
You need:
1 bottle of white vinegar
1 bottle of any kind of hair conditioner
Water

You combine 6 parts water with 3 parts vinegar and 2 parts hair conditioner. I like VO5 Conditioners. They are super cheap and smell wonderful! Mix it all up in a container (stirred, not shaken) and then use ½ cup (or less, as needed) per load. Just make as much as you like. I save old bottles of conditioner that have a few inches left and mix them all up. I make mine in an old pitcher and add it to a Downy Ball before tossing it into the load. You can also pour the mixture into ice cube trays to freeze and make individual little squares and then toss them in the wash. Makes your clothes super soft and you can choose any fragrance in the shampoo aisle to change scents!

CONTEST: Leave a comment and you'll be entered into a drawing for an autographed copy of the 1st edition of Nocturnally Vexed. Winner to be announced on December 21st, when TSHTF!!!!

Stop by Skhye's blog tomorrow! http://blog.skhyemoncrief.com/

Do you think the end is near? I'd love to hear your thoughts?