Homemade Laundry Soap

I am about 1/2 way through my first batch of homemade laundry detergent. Thus far, it seems to clean at least as well as the Purex brand I used to use. The only thing I miss is the scent of the store bought detergent.

1 quart Water (boiling)
1 bar of Fels Naptha (grated) - That was very hard to find!
2 cups Borax
2 cups Washing Soda
2 gallons of Water
1 bucket - a cat litter bucket works great!

Add finely grated bar soap to the boiling water and stir until soap is melted. You can keep on low heat until soap is melted.
Pour the soap water into a large, clean pail and add the Borax and Washing Soda. Stir well until all is dissolved. I used a large whisk. Add 2 gallons of water, whisk until well mixed.

Cover pail and use 1/4 cup for each load of laundry. The soap gelled up, so I used a whisk to break it up. According to the different recipes I have read, it should be stirred before each use, but since I whisked it up, it hasn't seemed to change consistency.

Cost break down:
(I can't remember the exact prices, so prices are approximate, but definitely rounded higher.)

Fels Naptha - $1.25
20 Mule Team Borax - $4.50 / 3 = $1.50
Washing Soda - $4.50 / 3 = $1.50

I should be able to get at least three and likely four batches out of the borax and washing soda, so I am dividing them by three. So $4.25 or less (very likely less) per batch. Each batch is 144 loads. It comes out to 0.0295138888888889, less than three cents per load.

Overall, I thought it was an interesting project and certainly a money saver, especially since the laundry detergent I was buying is steadily becoming more expensive.