Mrs.Nesbit's Diner - Message Board / Forum

Ok. I need some heeeeeellllpppp!!

I've been making my own laundry soap for about 2mos now, and I am not really happy with it.

First, it's the 'gel' type, but I thought it would be pourable.. it's NOT!  It literally gels into one big blob.  I have to add tiny amounts of water and use my beater to get it to loosen up- but it's a huge headache if I've already poured it into the laundry bottles!

Second- my clothes aren't as clean as I'd like.  All regular dirt/odors are gone, and they feel clean, but they are leaving an awful lot of 'stains' behind.  I feel like my kids are going to school dressed like homeless waifs!  I had heard that in this case, I should add more borax, so now I've done that.  I just tried that in my last batch, so not sure how it'll do yet, although my socks definitely look whiter.

Here's the recipe I'm using, please give me some suggestions!!  Ok, I'm actually halving the original recipe, since it made a crazy amount of soap, and storing it became a problem: 

1/4 cup Washing soda
1/2 bar of fels naptha soap
1/2 cup of borax (this is the ingredient I've been tweaking)

Grate soap, put in pan.  Add 3 cups of water, heat until soap disolves.
Add soda and borax, stir until disolved.
Remove from heat
Pour 2 cups of Hot Water into a bucket.  Add soap mixture, stir. 

1/2 cup per load.  32 loads.

It also says it will gel in 24 hrs, mine gels in about 1 hr.  Which ingredient is causing the gelling?  Or is it supposed to be like this?  To last night's batch I've added another 2 cups of water, but of course that throws everything off.  I'm just not sure what to do to get this stuff to pour/work better.

HELP!

Meghan