You will need:

Bar of Ivory soap
1 cup of washing soda (Arm and Hammer for example)

 

Fill large bucket or container with 3 gallons of hot tap water.  Grate the bar of soap into a saucepan.  Add just enough water to cover the soap, and heat, stirring constantly until soap is dissolved.  Add soap/water mixture to the hot water in the bucket.  Stir to combine.  Add 1 cup of washing soda and stir (do not mix up these steps).  As this cools, it will turn into a white gelatanious soap.  Thickness depends on the size of bucket used.  Use 1 1/2 to 2 cups per load of laundry.  You can add 1/2 cup of baking soda to the load as well.  Use 1/2 cup vinegar in a downy ball as a softner (the vinegar smell does not stay in your clothes).

 

Fels Naptha Laundry Soap
                         
water         
1/3 bar Fels Naptha laundry soap -- grated    
1/2 cup  washing soda
1/2 cup  borax

 

Put 1/3 bar of grated Fels Naptha in a pan with 3 pints of water, and heat until dissolved. Stir in: 1/2 cup Washing soda and 1/2 cup Borax.  Mix until it thickens like honey. Remove from heat. In a two gallon bucket, put 1 quart of hot water, then add the soap. Mix. Fill bucket with cold water. Mix until well blended. Set aside for 24 hours. It will gel up. Use 1/2 cup for each load.

 

One note:  NEITHER of these recipes produces a lot of suds when you put the detergent in with your wash.  It still cleans well though - and the ivory smells pretty good too.  Oh, and one other note <g> - the fels naptha bar soap can also be used like a "stain stick" - I dampen the fabric & rub the soap onto the extra tough stains.