Good luck with it. It will take some time to adjust to just the right mix for your water quality and various load types. My general rule is 2 parts detergent to 1 part STPP and have been satisfied. You will also consider the use of bleach and softners to various loads as well. You also can consider the avaliable temperatures of water from the heater and what your machine can heat the water to. My machine only goes to 130 degrees but that has been quite satisfactory for our purposes, though I wouldnt complain if it would do 160 or better :) Good luck! PS Ive been turning wrenches since the 70s and destroyed plenty of uniforms over the years. 90 weight gear lube is the worst and almost impossible. Fortunately I dont mess with gear lubes anymore since I do primarily electrical and electronic repairs in my shop.

A lot of it depends on the size of your load, the soil level, the rinsibility of the detergent, capacity of your washer, and water conditions. For example, I have hard water that varies between 8 to 10 grains. My washer is a Frigidaire Affinity FL which is big enough to wash comforters in. If I were using Tide HE liquid and doing a full very soiled load, I would fill to line 2 or 3 and then use extra rinses. If using the same Tide I was washing a full load that was not heavily soiled (just basic stuff like mild body oil and such), I would only put in half way up to line one. It would work out the same with other brands too, but you would have to experiment with what amounts get what loads clean. I merely used Tide HE as an example as it is the #1 selling HE detergent on the market and I had tried it along with many other brands when I first got my FL. I hope this helps.

I made a batch yesterday and this morning it has jelled up like the soap made with the Fels Naptha. I used half a bar for this batch. I have not washed any clothes with it yet but I imagine it will be fine. Thanks for your replies. Happy New Year. Sue

You could be correct about the glycern. I have made laundry soap from my soap trimmings, and although I didn't try and put it into a pump bottle, it could be considered snotty. When making laundry soap from soap trimmings, the soap is of a cheese consistency on top with the following layers getting more snotty, and then to more watery consistency near the bottom of the mixing container.