Here's my recipe for homemade laundry soap, but mine's the dry version. There's also a liquid/gel version (can Google the recipe), but I haven't tried it since the recipe usually says to make it in a 5-gallon bucket. I don't have that much space! LOL! ;)
You'll need:
A bar of Fels Naptha laundry soap. I've used other brands in the past, such as Octogon bar soap and even regular Ivory soap (the kind you'd use to bathe in). They all seem to work well. Finely grate the bar of soap ... the finer, the better, so they'll dissolve faster.
2 cups of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda. Not baking soda. It must be washing soda, and it's usually found in the laundry aisle. It can sometimes be hard to find, though. I ordered a bunch of it from Drugstore.com (no affiliation) when they had a free shipping deal going.
2 cups of 20 Mule Team borax powder, which is also found in the laundry aisle. Our Walmart carries it.
Mix it all together.
Use 1 tablespoon for a regular load, or 2 tablespoons for a heavily-soiled load.
A batch of it'll last a long, long time ... and you'll have extra washing soda and borax left for next time. I haven't actually measured it, but you can probably get 4-5 batches per box. :)
Ah-ha! I just looked. Drugstore.com still has their free-shipping-over-$25 deal going, and they still carry the washing soda. Link:
http://www.drugstore.com/qxp194866/a...h=washing+soda