Here's the good (or bad) news, depending on your perspective.... If you use "regular" laundry detergent in amounts suggested on the bottle, there is more than enough soap residue remaining in the fabric to "wash" your clothes without adding detergent. The same goes for adding softener (liquid or using softener sheets in the dryer) - there is plenty of softener residue remaining. If you soap your washcloths when you shower/bath, there is also a lot of soap remaining in those - dishcloths, as well, if you do dishes by-hand. You just used an alternative source. ;-) As my mother-in-law used to say, she wore clothes out laundering them, not wearing them.

I was a stickler for using less detergent than recommended due to soap residue problems. When I switched to Charlie's (Laundry) Soap (Nov. 2007), it took several weeks for the soap residue to wash out of our clothes. Then all the sudden the fabrics were nice and soft - even when line-dried. And all using 1 T. of the soap powder per large load. The first 5-gallon bucket I purchased (containing enough soap for 1280 loads) lasted us 3-years.

I am in the sparse use of laundry additives.. but just looked at Amazon. Another YIKES

Price:
$133.76

Charlie's Soap Powder Bucket, 1250 Loads, 32 Pounds

OklaMoni-

You may want to compare the cost per load to whatever you usually use. That's almost 11-cents rounded up (.107) per load. Another plus, the manufacturer suggests you NOT use softener (which alters the effectiveness of the detergent - but softener products are so toxic I don't know why anyone would use it - but that's another discussion), and is another cost saver. So if you add softener, add that to the price per load as well.

Yet another interesting point, clothes that have soap scum build-up wear out faster. The fabric with soap scum build-up is (microscopically) a little like two piece of sandpaper rubbing together. Laundry is an interesting science.... You should see how much information I have accumulated on the subject over the years.

Between switching to Charlie's Soap and drying our laundry indoors (on lines in the basement - instead of outdoors where the wind and sun destroy fabric at least as much - or MORE - than using a dryer), our clothing is lasting years longer than they previously did. So that's another HUGE savings.

I realize doing laundry is a really personal thing, and it's not one-size-fits-all, at least from the number of laundry products out there to choose from, so this is my laundry experience over the last 8-years.

-Grainlady

Grainlady at the moment I am using detergent left over, after my daughter bought one of the HD washers. Usually I use the liquid home made stuff. No fabric softener for me. Haven't used any in years. So, you say it is a good product as well? I just may have to spring for it, when I run out of what I have. :)

Moni

PS, no basement here... and I only dry indoors in the winter. Cuts down on costs of running a humidifier!

I agree that many people use far too much laundry detergent, often because of following label directions or not realizing that a smaller load doesn't need the same amount as a larger one. It's not so much an economic issue as a results issue, clothes washed in an adequate but not excessive amount of laundry detergent (and so without any detergent build up) seem to look brighter and smell fresher.

Is there an advantage to using the liquid detergents over the powdered ones?

Seems to be a lot of trouble hauling all that much more weight from factory to warehouse to store.

I usually use about a quarter the amount of powder that they recommend. No softener.

How do those of you who use the home-made stuff that was described here some time ago feel about its use, the ongoing result with clothes, sheets, towels etc.?

ole joyful

I've used the homemade dry detergent for several years now and wash only in cold water and my clothes come out looking good and smelling clean. If I use the dryer I don't use softener, have a couple of dryer balls that are in there.

Sorry for your friend's medical problems, Moni. You are a true friend!

I'd bet a lot of people use too much detergent to wash clothes and dishes. I'm not sure what the manufacturers are trying to do with 'pods' of detergent either. They *could* be trying to get people to use appropriate amounts. More likely, pods are a supposed 'convenience'.

I've tried Finish tablets in my new F&P dish drawers and have gone back to using the powdered Cascade. I fill the dispenser half to 2/3 full per load. (The dishwasher came with samples of the tablets.) I do use JetDry.

I never use 'softeners'. I use that dispenser for a little white vinegar.

Liquid detergents create build-up inside the washers. They are obviously popular, as I have to search for Tide Free powder -- which I store in an airtight container.

A while ago, I did a load of clothes using Fabric Softener instead of laundry soap (same brand name and nearly identical bottles). Everything looked and smelled okay afterwards, so I just wore everything as usual. If anything was stained, it got washed again later on anyway.

-If you normally use cold water for washing laundry, the water temperature needs to be at least 60°F and warmer for the detergent enzymes to work. If you use homemade laundry mixtures, you won't have enzymes unless you add them with a separate add-in product (be sure to factor that into your per load cost) and I believe they work best in warm/hot water, so are of little value in cold water. Homemade laundry mixtures are also missing corrosion inhibitors and chelating agents that are usually present in commercial detergent. There are also special surfactant formulations that don't foam as much, which helps prevent damage to the machine, and are missing from homemade mixtures. Using homemade laundry mixtures can reduce the life of your clothing - as well as your machine. If you have a new machine, using homemade laundry mixtures can void the warranty, so user beware and check with the manufacturer. What you save per load of homemade laundry mixture, you may end up offsetting by replacing clothing more often.

-Many newer machines will compensate for the temperature, even if you have it on the "COLD" setting, and will add hot water for the wash cycle so it's not too cold for detergent performance. Neither liquid nor powdered detergents dissolve well in water colder than 65°F - even so-called cold water detergents, which can leave streaks on your clothing. Powdered detergents can clump in cold water and leave patches of powder on clothing.

-Detergent manufacturers and care labels define cold water as 80-85°F. If the temperature of water in the machine is too cold for you to comfortably hold your hands in (as a test - or check it with an instant read thermometer), the detergent will not activate and clean effectively. Wet clothes do not necessarily = clean clothes.

-If you also have hard water (like we do where I live), you compound all laundry issues.

-I also use vinegar in the rinse because it aids in removing hard water scale build-up on the washing machine pump - as well as on the clothes. An interesting bit about fabric softener - they work by changing a detergent's negative electrical charge back into a positive, reducing static. They also coat fibers with a film that fluffs fibers - and don't forget the toxic scents for anyone sensitive to them. But the unscented brands are even more toxic because it takes more chemicals to keep it fragrance-free. Softeners also increase the flammability of clothing and sleepwear, so manufacturers of children's clothing recommend NOT adding softener when you launder them, as a safety precaution.

I find something as mundane as doing laundry so fascinating when you start to study the subject and the science behind it. But once again, to each their own.... It's not a one-size-fits all issue for a plethora of reasons. I've changed how I do laundry many times over the years, including trying a number of homemade mixtures, as I'm sure most people have. You just have to have one family member breakout with a horrible rash after the manufacturer changed something in the detergent formula you've been using for years, to make you find something new as a solution. That's another reason I switched to Charlie's Soap. Itchy hubby isn't a happy hubby.... No more skin issues.

WOW, what a laundry lesson! Thanks grainlady. I use the home made liquid often, but am out right now. Actually, I switch back and forth... and right now have 3 almost full bottles of tide and era from my daughter. I will think about that concentrated stuff before buying anything, when I run out of the liquid.

Moni

I still use "Hot" wash for sheets and towels now and then. If I'm using a stain remover, I use "Warm" wash for acrylics. Always "Cold" for rinses. (The stain removers tell you to use the hottest wash the item will withstand.)

It's just Tide Free plus vinegar here. I've tried other things.

Opinions vary. When a factory (not factory authorized) tech was at my house for a dishwasher, I asked him about using vinegar for rinses (the washing machine is the same brand. This company operates its own service division). He said that they advise against it because of damage to hoses and pumps and said, in fact, that using vinegar voids the warranty for any such resulting problems.

As far as water temperatures are concerned, I think our laundry has never been so clean as when we got a European washer and took advantage of its higher temperatures for cottons. We wash towels and sheets at 120 or 140, depending if colored or white, and they come out sparkling clean.

I agree with thinking of 85 degrees as cold for all but delicates and woolen items. That's the lowest setting our machine has for dark cottons and perm press and the results for this "cold" cycle are also good.

Several month back I joined a FB group dedicated to the science behind laundry (and cleaning). After using homemade laundry detergent for many years, I've stopped. Without a surfactant all the soap and minerals from hard water are trapped in your clothes. Although when I 'stripped' the laundry, I didn't see a lot come out, I no longer see soap buildup on the drum of my washing machine and my clothes are much whiter and brighter. This group analyzes all the detergents (you need a detergent, not a soap-this is the problem with home-made-its only soap and boosters). Tide and Persil are tops, but #3 is very inexpensive!!! Its called Foca (powder) and available at Walmart or hispanic stores.. Unfortunately its too sudsy for HE machines-they do make a liquid that is HE but its difficult to find. Foca is great for hard water and also contains enzymes-many laundry products don't. I know softeners are not a good thing, but I use them occasionally-love the smell! I just read on my laundry group that the scent beads are a better choice than softeners. Some people on FB use softeners or scent beads in wax warmers or diluted with water in a spray bottle as an air freshener but supposedly its flammable and not a good idea.

I've used Persil for whites and also for colored wash for the last 15 years. I'm a very satisfied customer.

(Ein sehr gutes German product, as you may know, oklamoni)