Making my own laundry soap: recipe and review

First, here is how I made my laundry soap. I used this recipe:

Homemade Laundry Soap

1/3 bar Fels Naptha soap or one whole bar of Ivory or homemade soap (I used Ivory)
1/2 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
1/2 cup borax powder
water
2+ gallon bucket, for storing

1. Grate the soap and place in a sauce pan. Add 6 cups of water and heat until the soap melts.

2. Add the washing soda and borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat.

3. Pour 4 cups of hot water into the bucket. Add the soap mixture and stir. Add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir.

4. Store your laundry detergent in the bucket, covered. (I put plastic wrap on the top of mine, and I also left my long plastic spoon in the soap to stir it briefly before each use.) Use 1/2 cup per load of clothes.

Now, for my review of the soap!

I like it.

It's very inexpensive, and will save us a lot of money! At a penny or so per load, it's a really good deal. It was easy to make, and will last a while. And I feel soooo frugal!

The good news:

This soap seems to work well for washing cloth diapers. It gets them really really clean and rinses out well.* I had been using "All Free & Clear" on my diapers, about a tablespoon per load, and it was still difficult to get rinsed out.

This soap is also working well for our normal, lightly-soiled laundry.

The bad news:

I double the amount of soap per load when I wash Joshua's work clothes. After I've washed Joshua's work clothes in this soap, they smell and look just like they did before they were washed. (He works in a factory.)

So I'm going to either have to increase the amount I use by a lot, or just use regular detergent from the store. I'm really not sure if this soap gets his work clothes very clean. Cleaner than before they were washed, yes... and I do use warm water. I'm just not satisfied with how the soap has worked for them so far.

In summary:

But, even if I keep using store-bought soap for Joshua's work clothes, I am still saving a lot of money by washing our other laundry with the homemade soap! And I am super-happy with the results of using it on diapers!

More info:

I have also read from various sources that you can add essential oil to your soap to make it scented. I want to try this but right now I only have tea tree, peppermint, eucalyptus, and clove oil, and Joshua and I weren't so sure we wanted any of our clothes to smell like those scents. ;)

Here is an interesting discussion thread all about making homemade laundry soap [1], from the Well Tell Me [2] forum. Lots of people talk about the way they made theirs and what they like/don't like. Overall, it seems like this homemade soap gets good reviews for washing laundry.

Crystal Miller's recipe for homemade laundry soap [3], which is where I got the base for my recipe, also tells more about each ingredient used and the price breakdown, for those interested.  She also has a step-by-step illustration of making laundry soap [4], which (of course) I found after I had already taken pictures of mine... ;)

*Here is a quick run-down of how I wash my cloth diapers. Keep in mind that any poopy diapers are pre-scrubbed, so I skip the pre-wash soak.

1. Run large load of COLD water and add 1/2 cup of my homemade soap. Set washer to longest wash cycle and allow to run completely through.

2. Do a second rinse in WARM water. Line dry in the sun.