Homemade Laundry Liquid

I use Rhonda's recipe at Down to Earth. The photo is actually her laundry liquid, I didn't take a shot of mine before I used up the last batch, but it all looks the same! I tried it without the borax first, because I didn't want to use it, but with my grubby boys it just didn't cut it. So I made it with, and I am very happy with it.We don't use the grey water for anything else, so I don't feel guilty :)

• 1 cup soap - grated or flaked. As much as I hate grating, I grate sunlight soap. If I ever get around to making my own soap I'll be using that.
• ½ cup washing soda (the powder not the crystals)
• ½ cup borax. 

 Put all the ingredients in a large saucepan and add 1 ½ litres of water. Heat the mixture, stirring all the while until all the ingredients are completely dissolved. In a 10 litre bucket measure in about 8 litres of cold water and then add the hot soapy mixture and stir. As it cools, the mixture will turn to gel. Gather some containers and pour it in, but make sure you leave enough room to shake it up before each use as it will separate on standing.  It is absolutely fine to use in cold water, but I have a friend who likes to dissolve it in hot water in the tub before adding the cold. Rhonda suggests using about ¼ cup for each load. I have found I need at least a half a cup. Even so, it is so much cheaper than the store bought stuff, better for the environment and without all the chemicals far better for our overall health. This recipe with a little bi-carb soda added also makes a wonderful creme cleanser for the bathroom. Check out the post at Down to Earth for more details.

I'm off to make another batch now!