Reply #241: More uses for soap scraps!

[greenmutha]

-Stuff them into mesh bath gloves and then just grab the whole glove, squeezing the hand opening shut as you rub it all over your body to lather up. This has the extra bonus of exfoliating your skin, too!

-Make your own laundry soap!
Use the equivalent amount of scraps to equal one large bar of bath soap, (or you can just use one whole bar of Ivory or Fels Naptha), and 1 cup of washing soda (I use Arm & Hammer brand).

Grate the soap with a food processor or hand grater. (If you are using really small soap scraps, you can omit the grating part. If you are using your food processor, make sure you clean it really well afterward!) Put the grated soap in a sauce pan and add just enough water to cover it; heat over medium-high heat to melt the soap, stirring occasionally.

While the soap is melting, heat 5 quarts of water in a big pot. Bring it to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. When the soap is melted, pour it into the large pot of simmering water and add the cup of washing soda. Stir well until it is all blended together with no lumps. (Takes about 15 minutes if hand stirring, but if you have an immersion blender, just whiz it together until it's well blended.) Immersion blenders rule! ;-)

Pour into a large container. (A 2 gallon plastic bucket with a lid is the perfect size for this.) If you want to, add a small amount of your favorite fragrance and stir well. (Sweet Orange, Lemon or Lime Essential Oils are a fabulous choice for their degreasing properties.) Let the mixture sit overnight and it should turn into a gel-like consistency.

Use one cup for a normal size load, one and a half cups for a big or extra-dirty load (the Fels Naptha soap works wonders for really dirty, greasy clothes). Keep the scooper cup in the soap and give it a quick stir each time you use it before scooping out what you need. (I use a glass pyrex one cup measure and just hook the handle over the edge of the bucket.)