Monday, December 10, 2012

#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?

9 comments:

Wodke Hawkinson said...

These recipes are fantastic. Thanks for posting them. I make laundry soap similar to yours, using baking soda instead of washing soda, and it's a dry mixture. Can't wait to try the fabric softener. -K

Skhye Moncrief said...

NO! (Shame on Skhye for poopooing on her own blog hop!) I think if the end does go down, it'll be because some crazed person used Divine Intervention to back his/her agenda. But, I'm into saving money and love helpful tips like how-tos. I bought all the stuff to make laundry soap about a year ago. I still haven't. But I will!

Great INFORMATION! ~Skhye

Alisha said...

Let me know how you like the fabric softener, Wodke!

Go make your detergent, Skhye!!!! You going to make the liquid or the powder?

Masha Holl said...

VIQ (Very Important Question): does the detergent work in High Efficiency washers? The ones requiring the HE detergents, not the regular detergents?

It sounds like it should, since it doesn't sud up, according to your notes, but I'm still new to this HE business.

There's always the wash-by-hand method. Been there, done that. Don't want to if I don't have to. :P

Alisha said...

Yes, from all the research I've done on homemade laundry soap, they say it is fine to use in HE washers! Let me know how you like it, Masha! I highly recommend using the Purex crystals if you want your laundry to smell wonderful and be extra soft!

Cathy McElhaney said...

I have a front load washer and I think it should work. I need to try it since so much laundry is done in this house!
As for the end of the world...I don't think I want to be here fighting for everything. No Electricity? No internet? No facebook?? Nope, I'm gonna volunteer to leave this planet! LOL!

Alisha said...

It should work in your washer, Cathy. I save tons of money so you should try it for sure! I bet you love it!

I don't think I'd volunteer to leave this planet just because we had no electricity, internet and hey, we did fine for a very long time without Facebook. Don't give up that easily..lol! Ask your zombie loving son how to survive! He fights zombies in his head!!! He'll know! Then tell me!!! LOL! Hugs! Thanks for stopping by! xoxoxo

Susan W. said...

I've seen recipes like these before and wasn't sure how they would work. I think I'm going to go ahead and give them a try. Especially the fabric softener.

suz2@cox.net

Girl in Oklahoma said...

I've never seen a 10 gallon bucket before, most are 5gallon like those that painters use or the one I have only seen at lowes or Home Depot.
I can use a window cleaning bucket because those come in a 6