Apothecary Extracts Tea Tree Oil Review and Homemade Laundry Soap Recipe!

One of the things that really surprises people about me is that I make my own laundry soap.  I don’t buy that overpriced junk in the stores.  I used to but then I found out if I make my own, it will cost me a penny per load.  Yours costs you a lot more than that, I assure you.   I can make an industrial sized bucket for what you pay for a small jug.  Think about it.  It doesn’t even take that long.

I normally make mine unscented but I was sent a bottle of Apothecary Extracts Tea Tree Oil to review.  I thought I would give it a shot. Now, I’m hooked!  I love the smell of tea tree oil and it does pretty awesome things too.  There are a ton of uses for the stuff!  I am going to start making different things with it and posting the results since it really is a phenomenal essential oil.  First up is my laundry soap.  I’ve posted this before on a blog that I used to write a long time ago so this is a refresher.

I use the recipe on the Duggar website.  Yes, the family with 19 kids that has a reality tv show.  Their site is chock full of great recipes!

Homemade Laundry Soap

This works on top or front loaders and in HE machines.

You will need:

4 Cups Hot Water

1 Bar Fels Naptha Soap (found in local grocery stores in detergent aisle)

1 Cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (I buy mine on Amazon)

1/2 Cup Borax (found in local grocery store in detergent aisle)

30 drops Apothecary Extracts Tea Tree Oil

Grate the entire bar of Fels Naptha soap and add to a pot with the hot water.  Simmer on medium heat, stirring constantly, until the entire bar dissolves.  You don’t want any soap left in there because this is the stuff that gets stains out & a little goes a long way!  Once dissolved, pour the mixture into an industrial sized bucket.  Add the Washing Soda (NOT baking soda.  If you use baking soda, your detergent will not work) and the Borax.  Then fill the bucket up halfway with more hot water.  Stir everything until dissolved.

Once dissolved, fill the bucket up the rest of the way with hot water.  Stir again.  (I use a paint stirring attachment for my drill.  It gets everything nice and blended!  You can also use a broom handle though).  Put the cover on the bucket and let it sit, undisturbed overnight.  In the morning, once everything has cooled, add your tea tree oil.  Then stir everything again.  Gather some detergent bottles and fill each halfway with your soap mixture. Then fill the rest of the way with water.  Each time you use it, you will need to shake it to disperse the soap and the scent.

The Duggars suggest using this amount per load and I agree:

-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)

-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

I just mark it on each cap with a sharpie marker.  There you have it.  Easy to make and cheap to use, laundry soap.  Not to mention, it smells great and Apothecary Extracts Tea Tree Oil is a known disinfectant!  For really tough stains, I still use a spray-on stain remover.  Enjoy!

I can’t wait to try more recipes involving Apothecary Extracts Tea Tree Oil.  Stay tuned since the bottle typically lasts around a year for most people!

Check it out here:  Apothecary Extracts Tea Tree Oil Available on Amazon!

Disclaimer: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.