Great Cakes Soapworks

I’m talking about laundry soap! I made a batch of homemade laundry soap, and I’ve been using it on our laundry for the past several weeks. Here is my recipe:

1 bar Great Cakes Soapworks Orange Essence Lye Soap, grated with a cheese grater.
1 c Borax – 20 Mule Team (get it from Walmart or the grocery store laundry aisle)
1 c Washing Soda – Arm & Hammer (I couldn’t find any at Walmart, but I did find some in my grocery store laundry aisle)
1/4 c powdered OxyClean (or generic brand can be found at Dollar Tree)

Combine ingredients in the food processor and pulse to combine. Use 1 T. for light loads, use 2 T. for large or heavy loads. I’ve read that you can add ¼ c. vinegar to the rinse cycle to soften fabrics and reduce static, but I’ve never tried this. We use Bounce fragrance free dryer sheets.

Here are my observations:

1. The first load I used it on, the clothes were noticeably softer!
2. I honestly can’t tell a difference in the cleaning power. Everything seems to be coming out just as clean as before. Now, I’m still adding a bit of Biz to some of the loads that are particularly dirty, but otherwise I’m just using the homemade soap.
3. I can’t really smell the Orange Essence soap on the clothes after they are washed, but I’m not noticing any other odors either.

Here’s my question:

Based on the recipe above and my observations about using the soap, would you make your own laundry soap with Great Cakes Soapworks Orange Essence Lye Soap, or would you prefer to buy it from me already made? I still need to do the math on how much it would end up costing per load, but I’m thinking it’s definitely cheaper than store-bought detergent. Not to mention that it’s better for the environment and your skin!

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