It can be done..you can get clean clothes using these ingredients but you need much more of each ingredient you also need a lot of very hot to boiling water ...you also need extra rinses the first few with very very hot water and you need soft water either mechaniclly softened or chemically softened....you also need a wringer washer..yes a wringer..because that scum from the soap is going to build up on washer parts and that is a perfect breeding ground for mold to grow..this build up will not be removed running a clean washer cycle using bleach it will require a tear down of the washer to scrape it off.

This homemade stuff is all over the net, on all the mommy blogs.....many report back after months with reports of dingy clothes and clothes thst now stink...yep they will take on a stink that's caused from soils remaining in the fibers along with soap scum.

Nothing I have said is unreasonable to believe...just think about it.

I would think commercial laundry detergent is more efficient and therefore more environmentally friendly. By using less soap, less water and being more gentle on the fibers of your clothes (think of how hard it is to rinse the soap out of your clothes when you hand wash an item in a hotel sink,) you are actually being more environmentally sound. Of course, to each her own. I am a Persil and boiling hot water kind of gal myself.

+1 to what Rita said. Our Euro-size Miele washer does have a nearly boiling cycle (190 deg) but we rarely use it, I suspect her comment was an exaggeration for emphasis. We stick to the 105-140 range (except for delicates and synthetics) with great results. And with German Persil, using something less than a full tablespoon per load.

Rita I love Persil..I expecially love German or US Perls/Pearls for whites along with hot water. I don't have a Miele (only in my dreams) but I do get nearly 160F on my machine which I love for bedding, bath towels and and kitchen towels. SCREAMING whites LOL.

As far as Rita exaggerating I don't know since its possiable Rita has a Miele that does reach boiling temps.

Yes, mama I have a Miele. And yes, Elmer I don't quite boil the laundry. I use the sanitize cycle at 70C/158F for whites, towels and sheets and exercise gear.

Persil faded my dark clothes. (Just as mamapinky said it would.)

I called the manufacturer. They insist there are no whitening agents or bleaches in their perls product. The conversation was like that old joke about 'What woman?' as the man packs the gal up and out of the house after his wife comes home and catches them in bed. They kept telling me the Persil couldn't fade my clothes.

I have a front load washer and use a tiny amount of detergent. Could the white vinegar in the rinse water combine with the Persil to fade the clothes?

Still looking for that powdered detergent to use on darks....

One of the main ingredients in Persil Pearls (the white and blue beads) is Sodium percarbonate, which is a oxygen bleach. This type of bleach won't strip color like chlorine bleach, but it can and will cause fading. The liquid Persils do not have any bleaching agent.

No vinegar won't cause fading, most it will do if enough is used is neutrilize detergent residue in clothing.

Someone at Henkel didn't know what they were talking about because the pea

rls sure do have oxy bleach and a good amount of it along with a bleach activator to force the oxygen bleach to activate at lower temps.

Rita.....I would LOVE to have a Miele LOL

So you "start a new thread" to call out people who make their own laundry *soap* but you don't want to step on anyone's toes?? Riiiighttt.

I've been using my *soap* successfully for YEARS. My clothes are clean and they don't stink. The soap doesn't get a grey film, it doesn't get moldy, and my clothes aren't scummy. In fact, I've had people ask me what I use in my laundry because my clothes smell so good.

But you go ahead and don't "step on anyone's toes" by criticizing and demeaning them.

You do you. It's all good.

Oh, I'm sorry you took this personal. This is exactly what I didn't want. So I'm sorry Chloe. I wasn't demeaning you, I wasn't criticizing you..I was critiquing the homemade laundry soap, not you.

I've watched this over and over again on these forums someone gives an opinion and whamo someone takes it personal.

Much of what I've said is fact ( no Elmer I'm not posting a link) some is common sense..

Tap water...not everyone knows bacteria will grow in it, yet its a fact..not an opinion or a maybe it will..it will. The other products well just read the labels...go to all the mommy blogs and read the reviews, all of them...

I open my mouth and someone always is ready to let me have it..why is that. Sit back and watch people wash clothes in bacteria...would you sit back and not say a word if you knew that may very well be a breeding ground for bacteria...

Chloe, I know mothing about your laundry practices, or your clean clothing, but I do know something anout this homemade laundry soap..

Chloe, I'm very sorry you felt targeted, and demeaned, I truely did not want you to feel this way. I only wanted to educate somewhat will you please accept my apologies.

My close friend has been using the homemade laundry soap for well over 10 years. Her daughter makes batches twice a year for family and friends. I have not used it myself, but my friend has super clean kitchen towels, bath towels and her clothes always look & smell fresh and clean. She uses a paste of baking soda, Dawn and peroxide for stains on aprons and towels. So this works well for her and she is happy with it.

Some people use Tide and have clothes that are less than clean. I think much depends on your water (softness, PH, minerals, chemicals etc.) as well as other laundry practices.

Just thought to mention.......she does not have a wringer washer and has never had a problem with scum in her very old washer.

Don't almost all commercial liquid soaps (body washes, shampoos, etc.) contain anti-bacterial additives? Our dermatologist said that those ingredients -- which even include formaldehyde -- cause skin irritations for some people, but they are there to extend shelf life, retarding mold. They are probably in commercial liquid laundry detergents for the same reason.