Homemade laundry detergent recipe

14 years ago

I tried to bump this up but it did not go to the front????? I'm going to link the recipe for the homemade laundry detergent thread from 2009 so everyone can see it since we've been talking about it!

Here is a link that might be useful: homemade laundry detergent thread

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Comments (10)

Jodi_SoCal
14 years ago
Thanks! Perfect timing. I finally used up the 5lbs of laundry detergent my DH bought me so I had something to make homemade detergent in. :-)
chloecat
14 years ago
I make this same recipe, except I use three small bars of Lever 2000 soap (for the aroma). Since March 22, 2010 (I dated my cat litter jugs that I keep it in), I've made four batches. I still have a full kitty litter jug (I dilute it into the kitty litter jugs - using two for each batch) that will probably last me until February or March.

I wash a LOT of clothes (work/play for DH and me), plus garage clothes (greasy, oily, dirty), and lots of towels (because I don't reuse them - one use, and it goes in the hamper).
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Question about the homemade laundry detergent.....
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Comments (29)
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.
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Homemade Laundry Detergent
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Comments (7)
@ kellycrash What is your goal in making your own laundry soap? Is it due to cost? Control of ingredients? Environmental concerns? Before using and promoting a homemade laundry detergent recipe, do you fully understand the role each ingredient plays? What is the hardness of your water? Do you understand how soap interacts with hard water, and the mess it can make in your machine? Do you know the final alkalinity of the wash solution and how that may or may not affect corrosion of your spider assembly? Soap flakes will create soap scum when combined with hard water. This will stick to your clothes, but what's even worse is that it will coat the inside of your machine and get you well on your way towards a mold/mildew/odor problem. Washing soda is a precipitating water softener, so again if you have hard water this is going to cause a white, powdery residue to coat your clothes and washer parts. Alkalinity is a well known enemy of the aluminum spider assembly at the rear of all front load washer drums. Particularly alkaline wash solutions may need the addition of sodium metasilicate or similar product to protect your spider from corrosion. If the soap does not rinse away properly, or you use ingredients that form a precipitate, this will coat your spider with possibly alkaline products, significantly accelerating corrosion and reducing the life of your machine. While homemade laundry soap or detergent may be a frugal person's fantasy, it's a "cheap at any cost" solution. If you don't know the long term effects of what you are putting into your machine, your frugal fantasy may end up costing you thousands of dollars down the line for a new machine or to replace ruined clothes. We have so many good detergents on the market today, most researched and formulated by people who are degreed, trained chemists. Why would we want to turn back the clock and use something in our machines that product science has rendered obsolete? It's almost like saying "hey, don't use your washing machine - use this washboard instead." Personally, I prefer benefitting from modern research and science versus turning back the clock and using ingredients that were prevalent in the 1800s. But that's just me. My personal opinion: stay away from this stuff unless you know exactly what you're doing.
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Homemade laundry detergent
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Comments (13)
rosabearr - You may want to check the ingredients in the liquid potpourri so that you don't end up with oily stains on your clothing from adding "liquid potpourri", or damage from the coloring in them. I've added essential oils and/or grapefruit seed extract (as a disinfectant) after all the ingredients are mixed together, but before they are cool and set into the "gel". If you add essential oils while it's "boiling", they will quickly dissipate from the heat and you won't have any left to add scent to the homemade soap. Check the link below for 10 recipes. -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: 10 Homemade Laundry Soap Recipes
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About the homemade laundry detergent
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Comments (9)
HOMEMADE LIQUID LAUNDRY DETERGENT 4 cups hot water 1 Ivory or Sunlight bar soap 1 cup washing soda 1/2 cup Borax Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan of hot water. Stir constantly over medium-low heat until soap is all melted. Fill a 5-gallon pail 1/2 full of hot water. Add melted soap, washing soda and borax. Stir well until the powder is dissolved. Fill bucket with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight. The next morning the pail will be all gelled and very thick. Stir with a stick to break it up. Fill a laundry jug half-full of the detergent, and top with more water. Shake before each use. Use 1/2 cup for top-load machines, and 1/4 for front-load. Use the thickened, undiluted soap as a pre-treater.
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arkansas girl
Original Author
14 years ago
So you can use just plain old bar soap for taking a bath for the laundry recipe? I've been saving slivers of unused soap leftovers waiting to use them for something...so I could use them for that? I have the fels naftha bar soap but I'd like to use up the other if possible.
Jasdip
14 years ago
Arkansas, the ladies in the States use Fels or Naptha laundry soap bars. Here in Canada we buy Sunlight Laundry bars. Nice and lemony.
chloecat
14 years ago
Yep, I use plain old bar soap - just nothing like Dove or Caress (they have oil in them).

I've used Dial, Lever 2000, Ivory, Castile, and Zest...
lisa_fla
14 years ago
I usually use a 1/2 bar of Fels and a 1/2 bar of Zote. I bet the zest smells nice!
arkansas girl
Original Author
14 years ago
Well cool, I'll try it with my soap, I don't think it has oil in it but I'll check first. I've never seen Sunlight over here before, Zote and Fels Naptha. It would be nice to use my soap because I know I'm not allergic to it. Fels Naptha is quite fragrant.
jeaninwa
14 years ago
I want to make this, but will have to 1/4 the recipe, as I don't have room to store a 5 gallon bucket or jugs. I'm hoping 1/4 will fill one jug.
Marilyn Sue
14 years ago
Over the years I have been making this I have made 14 batches of it. I have given a lot of it away to my family. I have always used Fels Naptha and I grate it with my food processor, much easier that way and it will melt quicker if you put the grated soap in the hot water and let it set for a bit before stirring it. Don't leave it on a burner. I am planning on making some more really soon. I don't dilute the soap after I take it out of the five gallon bucket, I just use less in my washing machine. No need to have water stored with soap any more than you have to. Thanks Jasdip for the recipe.

Sue
lisa_fla
14 years ago
This week I am going to try the Oxiclean recipe Kat posted.

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Homemade laundry detergent recipe

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Jodi_SoCal

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Homemade laundry detergent recipe

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