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Question about the homemade laundry detergent.....

14 years ago

I have never scented mine.....What kind of scented oil do you use? Is it the one for making candy or the one for scenting potpourri?

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Comments (29)

cynic
14 years ago
Why add smell? I guess if you really wanted some, just use a scented soap although I understand Zote has a scent and even Fels Naptha has a scent too.
Jasdip
14 years ago
I love the homemade stuff because it has no scent. I collect the empty laundry jugs from the recycle bins, and washing them out....the smell of some of those brands is horrific! I couldn't imagine walking around smelling like that.

For the same reason I dislike fabric softeners. Love plain old vinegar.

We buy Sunlight bars here in Canada, and it has a nice lemony smell. The whole jug of liquid detergent just smells "fresh".
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homemade laundry detergent success
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Comments (2)
Your results may vary..... From personal experience, it's not as simple as the cost factor alone. Although this, and similar mixtures (both dry and liquid versions) are generally very cost effective, there are other "costs" you need to take into consideration than just the price of the ingredients due to cause and effect. Not everyone has great results using homemade mixtures, especially the longer you use them and if you have hard water. These are things I experienced when using homemade laundry mixtures on-and-off over the last 25-years, and things I learned when I studied the science of soap and detergents and what was happening to my laundry when using it. Using it for one wash, one week, or even one month isn't a good test. See how things go after using it for 3-months or more. 1. This formula is missing a lot of chemical ingredients you've enjoyed in your commercial detergents, such as: corrosion inhibitors, enzymes, whiteners/brighteners, surfactant formulations that reduce foam, and chelating agents (bind things together) that are found in commercial detergents. What this means is after prolonged use of the homemade mixtures you may find the life of your clothing diminishes, it doesn't clean as well, your clothes are stiff when you line-dry them, and numerous other possible issues. This is why detergent was overwhelmingly chosen for laundry over old-fashioned soap products after WWII when all these chemicals were formulated. Detergents just worked better than soap, and these formulas are changing all the time to keep up with today's laundry needs. 2. $$$ If you use ZOTE (a bar soap formulated for laundry) instead of Fels Naptha, not only will you save money (ZOTE is 90-cents at Big Lots and it doesn't take the whole bar for a batch of laundry soap), it also has some brighteners (bluing agents) in the bar that will aid in keeping whites looking white better than Fels Naptha. Fels Naptha, which once contained Stoddard Solvent - a great cleaning agent, was removed years ago because it turns out it's pretty toxic stuff. Fels Naptha was basically used as a pre-wash (wet the bar and rubbed directly on stains), rather than as a laundry soap. I believe Stoddard Solvent is used in dry-cleaning chemicals. Most people used homemade lye soap for laundry and Fels Naptha for pretreating. 3. The ingredients used in these mixtures may NOT be good for your washing machine, and may actually diminish the life of it. There are reports that washing soda and Borax can damage washing machines. If you have an HE washing machine, check with the manufacturer for information about using homemade laundry detergent mixtures. Some of the bar soap products people use in the mixtures have fat in them that can build-up in the washer drum and cause that awful stinky smell and black mold growth front-loaders are famous for. This happened to a friend who used Oil of Olay in the mixture because she had sensitive skin and it was the only soap that didn't bother her. She had to replace her machine because of black mold. Use of a homemade product may cancel your warranty, so be sure to check. Washing machines aren't cheap compared to the cost difference in soap and detergent. 4. For optimal cleaning performance with homemade mixtures use hot water for the wash cycle to give you the best cleaning for whites and heavily soiled clothes. If you are going back to pre-WWII laundry products, you will get better results using the prescribed hot water that went along with their use, and you may also benefit from soaking some heavily-soiled items overnight. So use the hottest water possible for each fabric type for optimal cleaning. By using hot water, that will increase the cost of utilities, but will also increase the performance of the soap mixture. If you normally use cold water for washing and your cold water is really cold in the winter (65-degrees F or colder), the soap mixture will not activate and clean effectively. Cold water detergents are formulated for use in cold water, and detergent manufacturers define cold water as 80-85-degrees F. Some washing machines actually mix hot water with cold to achieve this temperature for the wash cycle, even when it's set on "cold". Wet clothes aren't necessarily "clean" clothes. Your soap or detergent needs to perform that first 5-minutes of the wash cycle in order to clean well. 5. If you have hard water you may find you need to use more than the normal 2 T. per load to get your clothes clean. More is needed for extra-large loads as well as extra dirty loads. You may need as much as 1/2-cup at times. You may need to add an oxygen-type cleaner (Oxi-Clean or Sun from the Dollar General) to the dry mix or add it to the laundry if using the liquid version, to aid performance. With each add-in or larger amount needed to do each load, the cost increases. 6. You are now using a soap-based product. Soap reacts with minerals in the water and can leave soap scum residue. You may find you need an extra rinse or need to chemically soften your water (Calgon or vinegar in the rinse, or a whole house water softener) in order to avoid soap scum build-up. That adds to the cost of use. Soap scum will eventually cause your whites to yellow or gray, and light colors will look dingy. If you line-dry your clothes they will be stiff because of the soap scum build-up. Dried soap scum build-up is like leaving sandpaper in your fabrics. It will actually be abrasive and reduce the life of your clothing, and can actually cause holes in fabrics. It can also cause skin outbreaks for anyone who may be sensitive to this soap residue in fabrics. If you launder cloth diapers in homemade laundry mixtures, it may contribute to diaper rash and will reduce the absorbancy of fabrics. You may find your clothing doesn't wear well or may wear-out sooner than they once did. 7. When I used these formulas years ago I would have to switch to regular detergent about every 3 months to remove the soap scum build-up and to brighten the clothes again. This is because of our extremely hard water. It worked best when I had a whole-house water softener unit. Eventually I was increasing the add-ins and using softener, so I really wasn't saving money at all. Especially since our clothes weren't lasting as long. 8. Off-season clothing would smell acrid/rancid after being in storage from the fats found in the bars of soap used for the mixtures. All off-season clothing had to be laundered before they could be used again because of this smell. 9. It takes several washings to remove your old detergent from your clothing, and then a couple months of using the homemade version to really show it's true results. I'd give it three months trial and see if you notice a real difference. Keep some "samples" for comparison. Save back a washcloth, a white T-shirt, etc., to compare before and after. 10. If you are laundering baby and children's clothing, homemade mixtures may destroy the fire-retardant coatings on fabrics. Charlie's Soap, which is what I use now, has been shown in testing to improve the the flamH retardant properties after each washing to the point where the fabric would not catch fire at all. No other detergent tested improved the flame retardant properties of children's sleepwear at all. Just some things to consider.... -Grainlady
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I have used Method and did not notice any fading; however, I only used it a few times, so that might not be a good indication. I stopped using it because I found the scent to be extremely strong. You just can't get rid of it! I bought the Sweet Water variety because that was the only one available in the small bottle where I bought it. I still use it occasionally on sheets, where I don't mind the scent, but not on anything else. There is a fragrance-free variety, but I couldn't find it in the small bottle locally and didn't want to get a large bottle of something I might not like.
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this whole flammable pj issue is such a crock, IMHO. if your kid is in the crib during a fire, he's going to die of smoke inhalation not his pj's catching on fire. if he's running around the house, reaching across the candle you've left burning, he should be wearing his jammies, so he won't catch on fire?? what?? what if it's midday? do we not protect them then? yes, we do! we don't burn candles where they can reach, or pull on top of themselves, or maybe not at all. my DD is 14, so when she was a baby the laws were different. there was no exception for close-fitting cotton pj's. there was no exception for under 6mo. we had a heck of a time finding cotton clothes for the kid, and she sweat like a pig when dressed in poly. i'd say wash your kids clothes the way that works best for your/their noses and skin. keep your smoke detectors working. practice reasonable safety practices (ya know, like not letting the 3 yr old play with the lit candle). i'm sure you can think of something better to worry about than your kids' pj flammability (just in case you really need something to worry about)!
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Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent....by request
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Here's the recipe I've been using for about three years...I get all my ingredients at our local Krogers...I also add a bottle of oil of essence I find at Hobby Lobby or Michaels...otherwise it has virtually no smell! I also picked up an empty pool chemical bucket last summer at a garage sale for 50cents...it's a little over 6 gallons and I can triple the recipe... Laundry Soap You will need 3 basic ingredients; a soap of some sort, washing soda and borax. The Soap: The most typical type of soap to use is Fels Naptha. It is an old-fashioned type of soap usually found in the laundry aisle. The other options for soap are Ivory or another brand called, Zote. Any of these will work. I use my own homemade soap and find it works quite well. If you use Ivory or your own homemade soap you will need to use the whole bar. Washing Soda: This is not to be confused with baking soda. They are not the same thing. Washing soda is sodium carbonate or soda ash (baking soda is sodium bicarbonate). It is a white powder. Its purpose is to help remove dirt and orders. The brand to look for is Arm & Hammer Washing Soda. I find it in the laundry section of my grocery store. Many people have a hard time finding this locally. I know you can purchase it on-line, even through Amazon.com. I would also suggest asking your grocery store manager if it would be possible for the store to get it for you. Borax: Borax is a naturally occurring mineral: Sodium Borate. It is a white powder. ItÂs purpose is as a laundry whitener and deodorizer. The brand to look for is 20 Mule Team. It comes in a 76 oz. box. You should be able to locate this in the laundry detergent aisle. Again as with the washing soda, if you cannot find it ask you store manager or look online. The Recipe 1/3 bar Fels Naptha or other type of soap, as listed above Â½ cup washing soda Â½ cup borax powder ~You will also need a small bucket, about 2 gallon size~ Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan. Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket. Now add your soap mixture and stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. You use Â½ cup per load. Optional: If you want your soap to have some sort of scent you can scent this with Â½ to 1 oz. of essential oil or fragrance oil of your choice. My favorite scent is orange essential oil.
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bigbaby
14 years ago
I also detest the smell of laundry detergent, fabric softeners and soaps. However, someone once posted here that they put some lavender oil in their homemade laundry soap and I bought some to try. I got it from the health food store. It's not edible, it's just essential oil of lavender.
sheilajoyce_gw
14 years ago
MMmmm, lavender oil sounds lovely!
User
14 years ago
Ok, be honest now, is this homemade stuff any good, does it get everything clean and odor free? what is your recipe, I may give it a try. I can't stand the smell of fabric softener and DH can't cant the smell of clothes not softened, I am at wits end and need to try something new.
redcurls
14 years ago
I can't even go down the laundry detergent aisle at one of our grocery stores because of the scent of some of them. I've never made the homemade stuff, but I'm gonna have to give it a try.
Vickey__MN
14 years ago
JoannFL...I thing the homemade stuff works just as well if not better than store bought. I too am a "no smell" person and use a downy ball with vinegar for a fabric softener (sometimes I use too much vinegar and we smell slightly like pickles for a week..oh well). I use the powder stuff. I made it last spring (One batch), and still have a little less than half left. I use 1 tbsp per load!

Vickey-MN
lilliepad
14 years ago
I agree with most of you about the scent thing.One reason I like the home made soap is because there is little/no scent.Just a nice clean smell.I used Zote in mine and it does have a slight scent but after it is mixed with everything else there is very little left.
"Ok, be honest now, is this homemade stuff any good, does it get everything clean and odor free?"
Yes,yes and yes! We have 18 month old babies and their clothes are always fresh and clean smelling.I have been using the soap for about 6 months and love it.My son and DH work on cars and can get pretty smelly and this gets out that smell too.Sometimes for nastier loads I will use a little more soap than called for.It doesn't make any suds so it won't harm your washing machine.I was amazed the first time I used it.I filled the washer,put in the soap and clothes and when it started agitating I couldn't believe how dirty the water got in just a matter of seconds!LOL
This stuff costs less than a jug of commercial stuff to make and is well worth it.If you haven't tried it,you should.If you don't like it,give it away to a homeless shelter or battered women's shelter.I'm sure it would be appreciated.Even if you don't like it and have to throw it out,you still haven't lost much,other than your time.You can always use the remainding Borax and washing soda as a booster with your regular laundry soap.

Homemade Laundry Soap:
1 bar Fels Naptha,Sunshine or Zote soap.This is a big bar of soap.About twice the size of a regular bar of soap.Some people use Ivory so I guess that would work if you can't find one of the others.I used Zote.
4 C. hot water
1 C. Washing soda(not baking soda)
1/2 C. Borax
Grate the soap with a box cheese grater or cut into small pieces with a sharp knife.Add the soap to the 4 Cups hot water in a sauce pan and heat over med. heat,stirring constantly until all the soap is melted.
Fill a large plastic container (kitty litter pail or paint pail)half full of hot water from the tap and add the soap mixture,borax and washing soda.Stir until the soda and borax are thoroughly dissolved.Fill the bucket the rest of the way with more hot water and mix thoroughly.Cover the container and let it sit overnight.Next morning the mixture will be a thick gel.Stir the mixture with a stick to break it up.It will still be kind of lumpy but don't worry about it.It will still do the job.Pour equal parts of gel and water into a container (an old laundry detergent container works fine).Shake before each use.
Use 1/4 C. for front loading machines.I just put it in the tub with the clothes instead of into the dispenser.
1/2 C. for top loading machines.
I use a little more per load if the load is extra soiled.
Can also be used full strenth as a pre-treater.
bigbaby
14 years ago
We have been using the homemade stuff for about six months how. It lasts so long we are still on our first batch! I think it is so much better that bought detergent. It's better for septic tanks, too, because it's very low to no suds.
bulldinkie
14 years ago
in your reipe you talk about pail how big, is 5 gallon too big?
Marilyn Sue McClintock
14 years ago
Yes, a five gallon bucket is just right. I am on my 6th batch. Of course I share with my 3 daughters and a Granddaughter. I don't dilute my soap when I put it in my containers, I just use half the amount. I am doing laundry today.

Sue
OklaMoni
14 years ago
Like Big Baby, I have been using mine like forever, and still have plenty.

I LOVE that stuff.

Moni
User
14 years ago
Another question.... Is it ok in the new HE machines?
I have no idea where to find those soaps, fells, sunshine or zote. I remember seeing fells years ago but not now. What store do you buy them at, are they in the laundry detergent isle? Thanks
nicole_ont
14 years ago
I've had the stuff for a while, but I just got around to making my first batch last night.

While it LOOKS great this morning, I can't imagine how just one little bar of laundry soap, 1/2 cup of borax and a cup of washing soda can effectively clean approximately three trillion loads of laundry (rough estimate, based on the mass number of bottles of detergent in my laundry room!)

I'm looking forward to trying it - I figure you can't all be wrong!

:)
lisa_fla
14 years ago
Joann-Fels is at Publix on the top shelf in the laundry aisle, Zote is in a pink and white pkg at Kmart on the top shelf in the laundry section. I made my last batch with a 1/2 bar of Fels, and a 1/2 bar of Zote. That way I get the best of both soaps.
Marilyn Sue McClintock
14 years ago
I found all of my ingredients in the laundry isle at Meijer. You may have to ask someone that works in your grocery. I have even grated up some odds and ends of bath soap and added to mine at times. Works great.

Sue
ruthieg__tx
14 years ago
Ifound all of mine except the soap at Wal-Mart and that I got at the Ace Hardware store here. They carry everything..even food.
Jasdip
14 years ago
I first saw the recipe on tv a year ago. A mom with 4 little kids was talking about it on one of the morning shows.
She swears it cleans better than the commercial stuff.

I tried it, and have been using it ever since. Hubby loves his darks now, because they look nicer and don't have any grey soap areas. I've always used liquid on the darks, so don't know why the other liquid detergents would leave a soap scum, but they did.

Our towels, polo shirts, jeans etc are softer. Everything smells clean, not perfumy.

I remember when Stoneybaloney tried it, she wrote here that her hubby was cutting down trees and it took all the grass stains and tree sap out of the jeans. She was very impressed.

We love it. I gave a bunch in jugs to all the other family members at Christmas.
User
14 years ago
I called publix this morning and just got back with my bar of fels. I had already bought the other stuff on Thursday to make some liquid hand soap, now I'm waitng on my scent to make it. I sure hope this works.
sooey
14 years ago
Wow! This sounds awesome. I just got some ERA at BJs yesterday but I will not let that stand in my way! I have a bar of fels-Nasptha soap that I bought just because I found it in the grocery store... reminded me of my Gram. I even have a Fels-Naptha soap grater that my Gram used to grate her soap way back in the very early 1900s. My Mom used it to grate cheese which is how I still use it today...silly us. This sounds like a fun and useful project...thanks, Gang!

sooey
User
14 years ago
From what I've been reading the liquid soap can get really goopy, and it sounds like your not suppose to put it in the HE washer dispenser but in the tub. Is that correct? Well, I have about decided to make the powder. Which one do you like better?
nicole_ont
14 years ago
Judging by how long it took the grated soap to melt in the pot, I'm wondering if the powder would leave little bits of gooey soap on the clothes in the washing machine?
majaco
Original Author
14 years ago
I have been making this stuff for a long time.I make the liquid and have never had any trouble with it. I think I will stick with it and no scented oil.Thanks
bee0hio
14 years ago
Judging by how long it took the grated soap to melt in the pot, I'm wondering if the powder would leave little bits of gooey soap on the clothes in the washing machine?

I think that might be a valid concern, Nicole. And it doesn't "melt" as well in hard water, which I have. I think I will stick with the liquid form.

Joann, my front loader calls for the "HE" detergents, and I put the homemade liquid in the dispenser in the top. No goopiness there. The water fills thru the dispenser & thus rinses out the dispenser. I would think if there is a problem with it not all getting out of the dispenser into the wash tub, it would happen regardless of if the detergent were liquid or dry.
country_bumpkin_al
14 years ago
Since the hot water on my washing machine isn't working, I guess I need to know if this works in cold water?
Vickey__MN
14 years ago
The only time I've found unmelted soap on my clothes is when I've overloaded my washer (sometimes I'm too lazy and two loads are one). Otherwise I have no problem with the soap disolving, and I wash in all temps. If it does worry you, you can make the powder, and just disolve the tbsp you need in hot water before adding...then you won't have the amount of soap sitting around.
foggyj
14 years ago
I'm using the dry form. I have found that on a dark rug I washed, that there were specks of semi-diluted Fels on the rug. It was washed in warm water, because of a non-skid backing. I haven't noticed it on other loads.
I will now try to heat up some water in the microwave, and dilute it before adding to the washer. I've tried adding the soap as the washer is filling, to help the dilution along too.
mrsmarv
14 years ago
From my experiences...

It works in HE front-loaders, both in hot and cold water.

We have a septic so the fact that it doesn't create suds is a plus.

I put it in the soap dispenser and haven't had any problems with it getting "goopy" or residue build up.

I use lavender essential oil in mine because I like the scent of lavender. DH has a stressful job and I figure the scent probably helps calm his a$$ down LOL.

I use a stick immersion blender to mix up the grated soap bar and hot water while it's "cooking" on the stove. This method works great and keeps the liquid from separating later on.
mad_about_mickey
14 years ago
I use the paint stirrer attachment for the drill
to stir it in the 5 gallon bucket before I dilute
it.

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