Another Homemade Venture - Laundry Detergent

I got this from another forum and went ahead and tried it. Easy to put together and saves lots of money.

With the current cost of detergent, you might want to consider attempting this stuff.

Home Made Laundry Detergent

1 bar of Felsnaptha soap (spelling may be wrong) or Ivory soap or your favorite soap
1 cup of Arm and Hammer Super Wahing Soda
1/2 cup Borax
1/2 cup Fabric Softener (optional)

Grate the bar of soap and place it into a pot and cover with water. Heat the water to simmer and stir until melted (do not boil - simmer only). Add this to a 5 gallon bucket. Add the other listed ingredients above and top up with 5 gallons of hot water. Stir the stuff well with a painter stirrer or paddle. Cover and let sit 24 hours. After 24 hours the stuff should be gelled. It will look like warm jello, not quite set solid, but thick. Stir well again to mix and then pour into containers.

I stirred mine a few times before actually moving to containers just to make sure it was all well mixed.

It smells good and has the color of lemonade (I used the Felsnafta soap). It only costs a few dollars to put together and you end up with 5 gallons of the stuff.

Give it a try. You might like the stuff and save some loot to boot.

Salute!

wow thats a new one.

I use powdered laundry soap, a big box lasts at least 6 mo. Just another thought if theres folks out there that don't like buying laundry soap often like me

Cool idea though!

I think heating the water for my laundry costs more than the soap I use. My top-loader only takes an ounce of liquid.

Google "homemade laundry detergent." You will find recipes galore! And the vast majority of them contain only four ingredients: water, washing soda, borax and some kind of "soap." It's interesting that earlier today, I mixed up my first batch of homemade laundry detergent! And the overall cost for TWO GALLONS [that's 256 oz] of the stuff: UNDER THREE DOLLARS. That compares very favorably to the $16-18 for 150 oz of Tide!

From what I read yesterday, some feel that the homemade stuff does a better job at cleaning clothes. I don't know about that, but if it does the SAME job as Tide, I'll be saving a bunch of dollars each year.

glenn514

SWMBO used the home made detergent yesterday and said it worked very well. Low to no suds, but she said she could see that it was working. It smells good and I am wearing one of the uniforms she washed yesterday. No reaction to the soap and the fabric is soft and clean.

This is definately a money saver and the loot can go for more homebrew ingredients and equipment.

Salute!

Great tip- thanks! I'm going to try this. Where did you buy "washing soda"?

Bought mine at the grocery store here in town. Larger grocery stores should carry it, or perhaps even a good hardware store. Look in the cleaning supplies section.

glenn514

i love this place so many great ideas!

Yeah most stores carry it. Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda and 20 Mule Team Borax. My total bill was less than $10.00 for all and I will get about 20 gallons of detergent (I hope).

Salute!

Just did a load of laundry to test out the homemade detergent, and it sure did seem to work fine! In fact, the wash water was GREY after the first agitation cycle!

glenn514

This is cool, I googled it and found several recipes. I just made the recipe above with ivory and in place of the washing soda I used oxyclean (I saw this as a replacement for the washing soda on other sites). It smells just like a mild detergent, I'll find out tomorrow how it will work out. Thanks for the tip.

I've been doing this for years. Similar recipe, except I use Zote soap. I also make my own fabric softener, dishwasher detergent and once a year, I will break out the cauldron of doom and make lye soap.

I learned from my Grandmother the fine arts of canning, preserving and household frugality. Cheers to Grandma!

thataintchicken said:

I also make my own fabric softener, dishwasher detergent

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Can you share your recipes?

Homemade fabric softener, I have to make up a batch so that i can add to my detergent. I did a load today and it was just as good (or better?) then the store bought stuff, I'm never buying that expensive $23 container of crap again....

Hmmm...would do this, as I'd love to play with the scent options because, to me, the general detergent scents smell like ass. But I have a front-loader and have been told by an actual washing machine designer to not use anything but the high-efficiency specific stuff. Dammit.

Bedlam said:

Hmmm...would do this, as I'd love to play with the scent options because, to me, the general detergent scents smell like ass. But I have a front-loader and have been told by an actual washing machine designer to not use anything but the high-efficiency specific stuff. Dammit.

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Home brewed detergent and a drop of Fermcap? It's a defoamer and should do the trick.

juvinious said:

This is cool, I googled it and found several recipes. I just made the recipe above with ivory and in place of the washing soda I used oxyclean (I saw this as a replacement for the washing soda on other sites). It smells just like a mild detergent, I'll find out tomorrow how it will work out. Thanks for the tip.

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I just re-read this. If you're pre-mixing the oxyclean in the solution, you might as well just use washing soda. Oxyclean is sodium percarbonate and sodium carbonate. When added to water, the available oxygen in the percarbonate is liberated and becomes soduim carbonate. By the time you use the detergent, all of oxyclean's magic has petered out.

You could add the percarb to the wash water directly with better effect. Remember, the warmer the wash water the better when using percarb.

This forum is such a trove of great ideas!

Anyone ever played around with scents? Such as lavender oil, vanilla, citrus, etc.

The options are just endless.

Next thing someone will try is scenting their laundry detergent with varieties of hops so they can smell it all day long.

We use some random organic soap because our washing machine drains into a reservoir and we use that to water our yard.

Will pass this to my wife.

This detergent works fine on front loaders/HE because it is non-sudsing formula. You shouldn't have any problems if you only use 1/2-2/3rds the amount.

the recipe posted for fabric softener is almost the same as the one I use.
It looks good.

Fragrances are easily found at the local dollar store. ( Dollar Tree in my area )
They carry a line of essential oils that works really well.

Anyone with sensitivities to some laundry detergents try this out? I'd like to try it, but my wife has reactions to certain detergents.

Hugh_Jass said:

I just re-read this. If you're pre-mixing the oxyclean in the solution, you might as well just use washing soda. Oxyclean is sodium percarbonate and sodium carbonate. When added to water, the available oxygen in the percarbonate is liberated and becomes soduim carbonate. By the time you use the detergent, all of oxyclean's magic has petered out.

You could add the percarb to the wash water directly with better effect. Remember, the warmer the wash water the better when using percarb.

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Good point, I couldn't find the washing soda. If I can find it I'll make another batch and try both in comparison.... it was dirt cheap to make. Thanks.

Whats the recommended usage rate esp. with HE washers?

I just use plain baking soda to wash all my clothes with some oxyclean thrown in if needed. Everything comes out clean and smells good with none of the perfumy crap I get from most detergents and fabric softeners. Plus it's much better for my septic system.

I'd love to try this, but I doubt I could convince my wife that it will be as good as the store-bought stuff. She buys the anti-allergy stuff. Of course, we are not out much to try it and I suppose someone out there could make use of it, or maybe use it to wash teh cars with if it doesn't meet our needs.

I've been planning on making some homemade bar soap for a while. Just need to gather the stuff together and do it. I prefer the homemade bar soap that I've bought to the modern liquid stuff. If made right it's actually been better for my skin.

As far as the Washing Soda, I already have a box of that. I've used it with a car battery charger to electrically remove rust from my car parts. It's not as environmentally friendly, or as safe as molasses, but it works faster (few hours compared to a few days/weeks).

Prime said:

Anyone with sensitivities to some laundry detergents try this out? I'd like to try it, but my wife has reactions to certain detergents.

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My wife has the same problem and I was just about to ask this.

Boron (aka 20 mule Borax) is a precursor to bleaching agents, FYI.

And is also a vital micronutrient for hops (and many other plants).

Good in the laundry and in the garden.

Prime said:

Anyone with sensitivities to some laundry detergents try this out? I'd like to try it, but my wife has reactions to certain detergents.

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This is exactly why I started using baking soda instead of detergent. Clothing washed in detergent was starting to peel the skin off my body. Baking soda gets everything squeaky clean and doesn't cause me to react to it.

Well we have been using this home brewed detergent for over a week and have had no ill effects from the stuff. It is low suds producing and gets the clothes clean and smells good.

I have passed on the recipe to several co-workers and they are using it also.

Only thing I do not like is that it separates when left to sit for any length of time. But a good shake gets it all mixed up and ready to go.

Salute!

bmckee56 said:

Well we have been using this home brewed detergent for over a week and have had no ill effects from the stuff. It is low suds producing and gets the clothes clean and smells good.

I have passed on the recipe to several co-workers and they are using it also.

Only thing I do not like is that it separates when left to sit for any length of time. But a good shake gets it all mixed up and ready to go.

Salute!

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Thanks for the update. I have read about the separation issue, which is leading me to try the powdered version that is listed online. Interestingly, if there is a buildup you can add some vinegar (even to the powdered recipe).

Brewing detergent!

A powdered version of this would be:

1 bar of ivory soap shaved or grated fine.
1/2 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
1/2 cup Borax

Mix the ingredients together for 5 minutes and store in a plastic tub. Use 1TBS per load (2 for heavily soiled clothing).

I also have read that 1/4 cup of vinegar in the rinse cycle will help to remove any residual soap and reduce static.

Been looking for liquid dish detergent formulas, but they seem to be less economical to produce, but they are significantly better for your skin and the environment.

Salute!

bmckee56 said:

Been looking for liquid dish detergent formulas, but they seem to be less economical to produce, but they are significantly better for your skin and the environment.

Salute!

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SWMBO makes one. I'll see if she will give me the recipe or the source for one tomorrow.

edit: here it is.

1/4 cup soap flakes
2 cups hot water
1/4 cup glycerin
1/2 tsp. lemon essential oil
In bowl combine soap flakes and water and stir until the soap is dissolved. Cool to luke warm.
Stir in the glycerin and the essential oil, leave to cool. AS it cools it will form a loose gel. Stir with a fork and break up the gel and then pour into a narrow-necked bottle. An old shampoo bottle makes an excellent container.
To use, squirt 3 teaspoonfuls into hot running water.

thataintchicken said:

SWMBO makes one. I'll see if she will give me the recipe or the source for one tomorrow.

edit: here it is.

1/4 cup soap flakes
2 cups hot water
1/4 cup glycerin
1/2 tsp. lemon essential oil
In bowl combine soap flakes and water and stir until the soap is dissolved. Cool to luke warm.
Stir in the glycerin and the essential oil, leave to cool. AS it cools it will form a loose gel. Stir with a fork and break up the gel and then pour into a narrow-necked bottle. An old shampoo bottle makes an excellent container.
To use, squirt 3 teaspoonfuls into hot running water.

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Are the soap flakes from a bar of soap like Ivory or are they purchased in the laundry section as actual soap flakes? I will try this out to see how it works. Thanks.

Salute!

bmckee56 said:

A powdered version of this would be:

1 bar of ivory soap shaved or grated fine.
1/2 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
1/2 cup Borax

Mix the ingredients together for 5 minutes and store in a plastic tub. Use 1TBS per load (2 for heavily soiled clothing).

I also have read that 1/4 cup of vinegar in the rinse cycle will help to remove any residual soap and reduce static.

Been looking for liquid dish detergent formulas, but they seem to be less economical to produce, but they are significantly better for your skin and the environment.

Salute!

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How ironic - I just made some of this today, THEN i found this thread.

I was torn between liquid and powder, but went with powder. Exact recipe above, except I used to the felsnaptha soap stuff, instead of regular bar soap.

The fels stuff has a fairly strong scent to me, but I like it...

May need to try the softener next...

bmckee56 said:

Are the soap flakes from a bar of soap like Ivory or are they purchased in the laundry section as actual soap flakes? I will try this out to see how it works. Thanks.

Salute!

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something along the lines of Zote laundry soap. Which is what we use, since it is really cheap at the Food Maxx across the street.

SWMBO is so hooked on this now that she is starting to make her own custom soaps -- my evil frugality wins over another hot Italian babe. I am teh luckys!

thataintchicken said:

something along the lines of Zote laundry soap. Which is what we use, since it is really cheap at the Food Maxx across the street.

SWMBO is so hooked on this now that she is starting to make her own custom soaps -- my evil frugality wins over another hot Italian babe. I am teh luckys!

Click to expand...

I use the fabric softner in the liquid detergent. I have actuallyy not made the dry detergent, but might give it a shot the next time around.

Salute!

Prime said:

Anyone with sensitivities to some laundry detergents try this out? I'd like to try it, but my wife has reactions to certain detergents.

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Yep. My wife uses the same recipe, with ivory. over the last 10 years I've developed allergies, and have to use the unscented crap. This stuff is great. We usually add Oxyclean free to our whites, which is the only downfall. They can get dingy with the detergent alone. This stuff works as well or better than most commercial detergent, and no rash, which is sweet. Dirt cheap, too.

I've made the "powdered" version of this. I used 1 cup borax, 1 cup washing soda and 1/2 bar of fels naptha. I chunked the soap and stuck it in the food processor with some of the borax, and then mixed it all together in a quart jar. The total was $8.25, but I used maybe a tenth of the borax and soda, so it could easily be a year's supply of detergent (plus a couple of bars of soap at $1.25 each). I like liquid detergent better, but I didn't want to have to refill the container or wait overnight, so I decided to give the powder a try.

It really smells "clean" with no fragrances added, but I know I could add a few drops of essential oil if I wanted a fragrance.

Thanks for sharing this!

Made a second batch of the liquid detergent and made a few changes. I wasn't happy with the separation problems, so I did the following in putting this batch together:

I shaved the soap bar and added it to a pot and covered it with water, then placed it on the stove and heated it to a simmer to melt it down. When it was completely melted in the pot, I added the borax and arm and hammer super washing soda and the fabric softener to the liquid in the pot and simmered it for 5 minutes (Keep an eye on the pot to ensure it does not boil over).

I then followed the rest of the original directions, adding the pot of simmered ingredients to what amounts to a total of 5 gallons of very hot water. I stirred thoroughly and allowed it to sit overnight. The next day it had a very thick skin on the top which required me to stir vigorously with a paint stirrer for some time to get it to break up and then I allowed it to sit for several more days. I then stirred the entire batch again and it now resembles store bought detergent. It no longer separates in the bottle after long term storage.

It takes a bit longer, but it seems to be fine in the final product.

It works great too!

Salute!