Notes to self regarding homemade soap...

I received a phone call yesterday morning letting me know that the supplies I needed to make homemade laundry soap were in.  Of course, I spaced and totally forgot.  So, I went down this morning to get the goods.  I could not wait to get home, and try my hand at making homemade laundry soap that I had read on a friend's blog a week prior.  If you know me, know what a tightwad I can be, you'll know what's coming next.  Yes, I figured I'd use what I had in my house and see how that faired.  This calls for....NOTES TO SELF....notice the additional S at the end of the word that is normally just phrased, "NOTE".  Here's how it went.....as I said, I picked up the supplies from our local hardware store

and started gathering the equipment I'd need to make my first double batch (first note, is that when trying something for the very first time, only make a single batch! Yes, I understand that the words "single batch" are not regularly in my vocabulary, but we're talking about soap here, not homemade bread or pudding.  The only thing I'll be feeding when I'm done with this is the front loader.)

I pulled the Saladmaster grater from the cabinet.  Put it together, and grabbed the 8 cup stainless steel Pampered Chef bowl with the rubber bottom, and started grating the bars of Fels-Naptha soap. (Second note, do this near an open window...not because the fumes are that bad, but when you are already suffering from the early allergies, sneezing will commence almost immediately!)

 

So, both bars have been grated into the bowl.  I'm so thrilled, because I'm so very close to finishing.  Or at least that's what I thought at the time.  I grab the 1 quart container for the Vitamix, after Michael (8) states that we'll no longer be able to use this carafe again because I'm putting soap into it, which I in turn, told him that we would simply wash it out when I was finished, and put in a handful of the grated soap.  It looks like it's going well, so I put in some more.  Then I look closer at the carafe and it hits me....the grated soap is not turning into a powder.  Instead it's turning it into lumps and chunks that are getting stuck in the container under the blades.  Do I give up?!  No, not me!!  I use a butter knife to loosen the clumps and give it a whirl again.  In no time, I'm right back to where I was before I loosened it.  So, my husband decides to use a spinning chopper (similar to a mini chopper, but this one is powered by good 'ole muscle!) and it does a much better job than the Vitamix did for me. (Third note to self, take the money that you saved buying your supplies at the local hardware store to get that immersion blender that will do the job that you want...the way it's supposed to be done!)

Am I going to call it a day, and go out and buy that immersion blender?? No, not today.  Laura and I have a bridal shower to go to this afternoon, and I'm just admitting to myself that I should have followed the directions exactly, and vow to do so the next time around.  I decided to keep the grated soap just as it is, and use the soap this way.  I wonder how it will work!  Because the bars of soap are not a nice powder consistency, we'll have to shake the container a bit before measuring it into the front loader.

Thanks to a recently emptied plastic 4 pound jar of peanut butter, we have a nice container to keep the soap in.  I also opted and bought a special set of measuring spoons for dispensing the soap into the front loader.  The 2 bars of grated Fels-Naptha, the 2 cups of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda, and 1 cup of Borax are in there too.

 

1 Tbsp. of soap for a light load, and 2 Tbsp. of soap for a regular load.  The smell of the new soap smells really good, and I cannot wait to see how these bumps in the road make a difference in our laundry.

May God bless you and yours abundantly......