This is an interesting "recipe" sent to me by Wilma Yoder in Bethany, Missouri  I am going to share a bit about Bethany and another one of her recipes next week, but for now I am just going to share her homemade laundry soap recipe that she was nice enough to share with us.  Finding recipes that are this basic and this "homemade" are tough so I'd love to try this sometime.  Wilma says "we use this soap every time we do the laundry and like it very well!"  She also adds that they usually add some fragrant essential oil, like lilac or honeysuckle to give the laundry soap a better scent.
Authentic Amish Homemade Laundry Soap
10 cups cold rainwater
9 cups melted lard, or any grease
1 /2 cup ammonia
3 tablespoons borax
1 /2 citronella (optional)
1 cup Lewis lye
Mix these in the order listed. Sprinkle lye in last and let stand 5 - 10 minutes. Stir frequently for the first 1 1 /2 hours. Â After that, once every hour throughout the day. Â Stir several times the next day so that it is all crumbled up. Â Avoid inhaling fumes. Let this set for a few more days, stirring often. Â Put this in a tight container and it is ready to use in the wash water.
brenda
wow this sounds just like the stuff my great grandmother use to stir in a big black kettle over bright red coals for a few days, pour out over butcher paper lined big boards and then cut it in chunks after it solidified.
Kevin
That sounds awesome, brenda!
Bev
Do you know how much you use for each load of laundry and can it be used for delicate under clothing
Bev
Why would you use grease in laundry detergent. what good would that do.. I am always trying to get grease out of my clothes and this sounds strange to me .
Gail
Apparently you haven't researched making soap. Soap is made with oils and lye and it goes through a process known as saponification and then you have soap.
Felicia
Oil is used in the soap making process. It helps dissolve and rinse away dirt and other oils. There is a chemical reaction that make the oil cleansing instead of oily and gross.